ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the celebrated Hindi/Urdu novelist and short story writer Premchand’s (1880–1936) historical story ‘Rajya Bhakt’ (1924) or ‘The Patriot’ by placing it within a comparative frame and with special attention to its denouement. The discussion in the chapter takes cue from an essay by the scholar of Urdu Frances W. Pritchett on Premchand’s widely known story ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’. The author borrows the idea of climax manqué, as elaborated in Pritchett’s reading as a template to guide my discussion of the ending of ‘Rajya Bhakt’, and also additionally, the endings of two other texts that have been cited to contrast with Premchand’s historical tale: the first nationalist, and the second critical of caste hierarchies. Through this comparative demonstration of these stories of conquest of India, the article seeks to foreground the crucial role that denouements play in such narratives, communicating ideological messages to the readers and encouraging (or discouraging) nationalist agency.
