Crime or not, it’s a powerful device in literature

KOLKATA: Love in all its hues and interpretations rule the world of fiction. So, whether it is an offence under penal code or not,

adultery

makes its way into

literature

quite seamlessly and has been accepted as a natural expression through the ages. Adultery has always been one of the most powerful and climactic forces in fiction, feel authors. However, handling it sensitively is where the test of the author lies.

Right from the epics and the puranas to modern literature that started in British Bengal, adultery has not only added layers and helped to create intrigue but also often been celebrated. The need for romance and love beyond the confines of the family has mostly found sanction in literature, of course within limits.

“And it is that limit that differentiates literature from pornography. You cannot deny the entry of adultery in adult fiction. It is a reality; often a disruptive one, but an author is a society watcher, his chronicle cannot block it out!” said author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. He is however in favour of portrayal of responsible love, where the heart might bleed, but physicality or lust doesn’t overtake the poignancy of love.

Almost any debate or deliberation about adultery in literature invariably takes one to Tagore’s Noshto Neer (The Broken Nest) that inspired Satyajit Ray’s Charulata. Writer Samaresh Majumdar, who has often explored adultery in his novels, said, “Can you stop the mind from wandering? It is natural for the mind to explore love. In real life, you must draw a line for the sake of societal norms. But fiction doesn’t have that compulsion!” he added.

The somewhat puritan literature of the colonial era — with exceptions like Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay — changed completely during the next phase or what is better known as the ‘Kallol Yug’ in Bengali literature.

“It was some kind of a backlash as I see it where writers wanted to lay threadbare the realities of life and that included promiscuity or adultery. These were realities, but the expressions were often so harsh that they woke you up with a jolt,” said writer Sanjib Chattopadhyay.

Writers like Samaresh Basu have even made public statements like, promiscuity, sex and adultery come in handy when authors go through writer’s block.