Postmodernist Concerns in the Novels of Anita Desai and Namita Gokhale : A Study in Comparison A Thesis Submitted for the Award of Ph.D. Degree of UNIVERSITY OF KOTA in English (Faculty of Arts) By Rashmi Agrawal Under the supervision of Dr. Pratima Sharma Principal (Retd.) Department of English, Govt. Arts College, Kota University of Kota, Kota (Raj.) Year : 2018 CERTIFICATE I feel great pleasure in certifying that the thesis entitled ‘Postmodernist Concerns in the Novels of Anita Desai and Namita Gokhale : A Study in Comparison’ has been carried out successfully by Rashmi Agrawal under my guidance. She has completed the following requirements as per Ph.D. regulations of the University. (a) Course work as per the university rules. (b) Residential requirements of the university (200 days) (c) Regularly submitted annual progress report. (d) Presented her work in the departmental committee. (e) Published/accepted minimum of one research paper in a referred research journal, I recommend the submission of thesis. Date : Dr. Pratima Sharma Principal (Retd.) Department of College Education (Raj.) ABSTRACT Postmodernism, within the historical context, denotes a period post 1980s, which represents an era following modernism. Whether it is a heralder of modernism, it refutes or obscures or surpasses modernism has been a question of analysis since long. But by and large, a consensus has been reached that modernism itself is inevitably postmodern, in its ever transitional contemporaneity and its relevance to the immediate present. Postmodernism, philosophically, describes the renaissance of skeptical thinking and a constant questioning of the already existing values and ideologies. The movement symbolises an epistemological critique which shatters the prevalent unquestionable belief in morality and rationality. It rejects any possibility or need of verifiability and homogeneity of principles. The explanatory schemes are vehemently argued and so is the validity of right and wrong, good and bad, ethical and unethical. A worthwhile action is defined not by logic or sanction of society but by individual parameters and needs. Change and disorder are welcome evading any association of reverence with a universal stable pattern. Based on the fact that Postmodernism is a valuable pursuit because it engages scholars and critics in discussions of the current cultural mutations and of the fundamental question about individual’s position and situation in the society, the research takes an indepth analysis of the contemporary life as depicted in the novels of Anita Desai and Namita Gokhale. The two writers of international repute, write highly individualistic narratives, carrying forward the legacy of postmodernism and its implications on our approach towards life, attitude and psychology. Explaining the concept of postmodernism, the thesis, by integrating primary material into the study, is an attempt to make explicit the common themes underlying the novels of Desai and Gokhale. It also brings to the surface the distinctive features between the works of the two contemporary writers concerning their themes as well as techniques of writing. It aims to give an insightful glimpse into the relevance of the understanding of postmodernism in realizing the various aspects of thoughts portrayed in the novels. The novels have been positioned in the postmodern premises, highlighting the absurdities of human existence, complexities of relationships, feministic concerns, alienation and fragmentation, rejection of reason and logic, psychological traumas and the assertion of the postmodern me-generation, negating and transcending all the totalizing and unifying agents. The fiction of Desai and Gokhale is a manifestation of a flexibility and diversity of approach and of style, arising out of acceptance of discontinuity, grotesqueness, inherent difference, self-motivation, role-reversals and rejection of the pre-ordained aesthetic rules of writing. Instead of prizing truth, morality, experience and society, the actions of the protagonists are determined by a self-beneficiary outlook tending towards spontaneity, reflexivity, relativity and autonomy. Women, being the focus of study of these two writers, exhibit postmodern consumer culture by objecting openly to the centrality of power neutralizing the judgement and expectations pronounced on them. Introduction of improbabilities, which disrupt the known and the accepted and a dialogism of representation are some striking features of their hybrid fiction. Key words: Postmodernism, modernism, absurdity, representation. Candidate’s Declaration I, hereby, certify that the work, which is being presented in the thesis, entitled ‘Postmodernist Concerns in the Novels of Anita Desai and Namita Gokhale : A Study in Comparison’ in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, carried under the supervision of Dr. Pratima Sharma and submitted to the University of Kota, Kota represents my ideas in my own words and where others’ ideas or words have been included, I have adequately cited and referenced the original sources. The work presented in this thesis has not been submitted elsewhere for the award of any other degree or diploma from any institution. I also declare that I have adhered to all principles of academic honesty and integrity and have not misrepresented or fabricated or falsified any idea/data/fact/source in my submission. I understand that any violation of the above will cause for disciplinary action by the University and can also evoke penal action from the sources which have thus not been properly cited or from whom proper permission has not been taken when needed. Rashmi Agrawal Date : _________ This is to certify that the above statement made by Rashmi Agrawal (Registration No. RS/920/13) is correct to the best of my knowledge. Date : ________ Research Supervisor University of Kota, Kota Government Arts College, Kota ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my reverend supervisor, Dr. Pratima Sharma, for her ceaseless guidance and encouragement in the course of my research without which this research would not have been accomplished. The keen interest displayed by her in the topic and readiness to devote her time to guide the research have motivated me to complete my research successfully. It is with pleasure that I record my thanks to my husband, Dr. Ravi Arora for his patience, love and belief in my potential. His inspiration and rejuvenation has been valuable throughout these years. I express my heartfelt thanks to my wonderful son, Nilay Arora who despite being so young has shown acceptance and understanding and has always cheered me up with his innocent compliments. I am extremely grateful to my father-in-law Mr. R.C. Arora, mother-in- law Dr. J.D. Arora, my mother Mrs. P.K. Agarwal and my amazing sisters Dr. Richa and Ruchi Agarwal for their valuable prayers. I appreciate their forbearance, invigoration and reassurances from time to time. I also recognize the support of the faculty and staff members of my institution, Govt. V.S.P.A. Sanskrit College, Kota who tried their best to unburden me from extra professional responsibilities and revitalize me to proceed towards the completion of the work. I am thankful to Miss Shruti Mishra, a Young India Scholar and my close associate, for her genuine concern about the completion of my research and her scholarly ideas and help. Finally I express my gratitude to all the people who have co-operated with me in my research work, directly or indirectly. May the Almighty bless all of you! Rashmi Agrawal CONTENTS Chapter – 1 Theoretical Framework 1 - 12 Chapter – 2 Spirit of the Age 13 - 45 Chapter – 3 Intricacies of Human Relationships 46 - 132 Chapter – 4 Spectrum of Female Sensibilities 133 - 196 Chapter – 5 Alienation and Assertion 197 - 261 Chapter – 6 Narrative Pattern 262 - 347 Chapter – 7 Summing Up 348 - 358 Summary 359 - 369 Bibliography 370 - 384 Chapter – 1 THEORETICAL FRAME WORK Postmodern Indian English fiction has brought revolution in the whole range of Indian English literature in its choice of subjects and language of expression. With the vast fundamental changes taking place in the contemporary culture and society, postmodern fiction, with its emphasis on human freedom and emancipation, diversity, spontaneity, individuality, change and disorder, reconstructs the modernist literature. Postmodern literature is a part of socio-cultural and historical development and can be viewed as a specific way of depiction of the postmodern life and culture. The spirit of postmodernism is that of denial of belief in any naive representational scheme, in which symbols stand for something definite. Any possibility of rational consideration of the probabilities is evaded by postmodernists. It brings our focus on consumerism and lack of fixity of any kind in our lives in the present age. The postmodernist age, constitutes a dramatic mutation and rupture from the previous modern age and is characterized by wars, social turmoil and revolution. The term ‘Postmodern’ has only become current since the 1980s whereas it was the movement called ‘modernism’ which stirred the field of arts in the twentieth century and became crucial in the understanding of the culture of the first half of the twentieth century. Postmodernism came as an aftershock which was dedicated to experimentation and innovation. The boundaries of arts were rejected and an entirely new universe of pattern, purpose and process was laid down, claiming that