Echoes of the Forest: A Comparative Study of Three Novels

In Bengali fiction, the forest is not merely a geographical landscape but a multidimensional cultural space that embodies human life, memory, identity, and power relations. Literary representations of Indigenous communities, forest-based livelihoods, and nature-centered existence have consequently emerged as a distinctive tradition within Bengali novels. This study offers a comparative reading of three significant novels—Aranya Kuheli, Baroban Teropahar, and Aranya Kanya—to examine how each text constructs the forest through diverse literary and ideological perspectives.

The study explores the interconnected themes of forest consciousness, Indigenous life, human–nature relationships, cultural identity, and the impact of modernity. It further investigates how the three novelists portray the forest not simply as a physical setting but as a symbolic space where history, memory, resistance, and cultural existence converge. Employing a comparative literary approach, the article analyzes the thematic concerns, characterization, narrative strategies, language, symbolism, and ideological dimensions of the selected texts. By identifying both convergences and divergences among these novels, the study seeks to contribute to a broader understanding of forest-centered narratives in Bengali literature and to illuminate the literary construction of Indigenous life and ecological consciousness. The findings underscore that the forest functions as a dynamic cultural and historical entity, reflecting the complex interaction between people, place, and identity in Bengali fiction.

Keyword: Bengali fiction, Comperative, Historical, (Aranya Kuheli), (Barobon teropahar), (Aranya kanya), Indigenous life, Forest Centerd, Communities, Novels.