Intellectual and Historical Development of Criticism in Urdu Fiction: In the" Perspective of Selected Critics"

اردو فکشن میں تنقید کا فکری و تاریخی ارتقا: منتخب ناقدین کے تناظر میں

Abstract

This study examines the intellectual and historical development of criticism in Urdu fiction through the perspectives of selected critics who played a decisive role in shaping critical thought in Urdu literature. Urdu fiction has not evolved merely as a narrative form; rather, its growth has been deeply influenced by critical discourse that analyzed its themes, techniques, aesthetics, and ideological foundations. The research highlights how critics such as Muhammad Hasan Askari, Aal-e-Ahmad Saroor, Mumtaz Shirin, Gopi Chand Narang, Wazir Agha, Saleem Ahmed, Khurshid-ul-Islam, Jameel Jalibi, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Hamid Hasan Qadri, contributed to the formation and transformation of Urdu fiction criticism. The study traces the historical shifts from impressionistic and traditional criticism to modern, theoretical, stylistic, and ideological approaches. It also explores the impact of movements such as Progressivism, Modernism, and Post-Modern tendencies on critical thought. By analyzing these critics’ methodologies and intellectual orientations, the paper demonstrates how Urdu fiction criticism moved beyond moralistic or narrative evaluation toward deeper philosophical, aesthetic, and structural interpretations. The research concludes that the diversity of critical perspectives enriched Urdu fiction and provided a solid intellectual framework for understanding its artistic and cultural significance across different literary periods.