Page:History of Bengali Literature in the Nineteenth Century.djvu/325

INTERREGNUM IN POETRY 301 We propose in the following pages to take these writers in the old style in the groups mentioned below. It would not be necessary for us to ও of this deal with this class of writings in minute detail; it would be enough for our purpose if we indicate broadly the phase of literary development which they represent and give a more or less general survey of their work and achievement. 1 may be noted here at the outset that in the case of many of these groups, materials for study are extremely scanty and scattered, and most of the writings which belong to this section have not been yet critically studied or edited. In the case of Pamchali and Yatra and devotional songs, for instance, no attempt has yet been made to collect either data and materials for tracing their systematic history or even to make a satisfactory collection of these floating and fast vanishing forms of literature. Under this condition of imperfect knowledge of the subject no apology is necessary for imperfect treatment and what is offered here must be taken as nothing more than a merely tentative and preliminary attempt. (1) Kabiwalas. (2) Nidhu Babu and writers of Vappa. (3) Followers of Ram-prasad and writers of devo- tional songs. (4) Followers of Bharat-chandra. (5) Isolated followers of ancient authors: Jay- narayan Ghosal, Raghunandan Gosvami and others. (6) Authors of Pavnehali and Yatra. (7) Miscellaneous songsters.