XI. SOME GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HINDI LITERATURE Having now traced the history of Hindi literature from its earliest times to the present day, it may be helpful to mention in this chapter some of its general characteristics even at the risk of some repetition of points already mentioned. 1. The first striking feature is that, during the time when it grew and flourished through its own original force, Hindi literature was dominated by a religious interest. Probably much more than half of the literature directly springs from the bhakti move- ment in one or other of its aspects. A great deal of the remainder is concerned with the art of poetry ; and even in these works the illustrative verses, which form the greater part of them are often connected with one or other of the various religious movements. The bardic chronicles, and some other parts of the literature, are secular in character, but even in these the religious interest is not quite out of sight. 2. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century practically the whole of the literature was in verse. There are indeed a few exceptions. The works ascribed to Gorakhnath (though almost certainly not by him) include one in prose, and if this is correctly dated as belonging to the fourteenth century it is the earliest Hindi prose work extant. Then we have the Mandan of Vitthalnath and the Chaurasi Varta of Gokul Nath in the sixteenth century, and Damodar Das's translation of the Mdrkandeya Pur ana in the seventeenth century. Besides these, and the commentaries which accom-
