This is an anthology of essays compiled under the general title Euphemisms of Existence: Gender, Ecology and History in Fiction. This collection consists of several essays concerning gender, ecology and history in the works of selected writers including Amitav Ghosh, Githa Hariharan, Shashi Deshpande and J.M Coetzee.
The fictional corpus of Amitav Ghosh has always been concerned with issues like gender, memories, history and ecology. If we closely analyze the patterns of Ghosh’s early and recent works of fiction, we can clearly trace a shift from history and memory to environmental problems and ecology. "The Shadow Lines" (1988) and "The Gun Island" (2019) will serve as a testimony for this statement.
The works of Githa Hariharan and Shashi Deshpande, to a great extent, deals with the issues of gender in patriarchal societies. Most of their characters are drawn from an Indian background and assimilate the plight shared by Indian women. Hariharan’s "The Thousand Faces of Night" and Deshpande’s "The Dark Holds No Terrors" are discussed here.
J.M Coetzee, a South African Nobel Laureate, in his works deals with the issues of gender in particular and discrimination based on caste, religion, race etc...in general. The essays in this book is an attempt to trace and locate how gender, ecology and history are explored in the works if this selected writers.
Table of Contents
1. Redefining the Shadow Lines: A Reinterpretation of History Through Narratives
2. Restructuring the Patriarchal Norms: Sarita as a Champion of Women Empowerment
3. Merging the Shattered Selves: The Question of Self Realization in Disgrace by J. M Coetzee
4. Euphemisms of Existence: A Reading of the Relationship Between Food and Gender
5. Trauma Theory: A Retrospective Analysis
6. Gender Stereotypes and Fairy Tales: A Reading
7. The Thousand Faces of Night: A Reading of the Relationship Between Indian Myths and Gender Stereotypes.
8. Unearthing the Green Elements in The Hungry Tide:
Research Objectives & Core Themes
This anthology explores the intersection of gender, ecology, and history within contemporary fiction, analyzing how these elements shape identity, power dynamics, and social structures in the works of authors such as Amitav Ghosh, Shashi Deshpande, Gita Hariharan, and J.M. Coetzee.
- Deconstruction of patriarchal norms and the struggle for female self-identity.
- Ecological criticism and the relationship between human civilization and nature.
- The role of memory and narrative in interpreting and reconstructing historical events.
- Analysis of trauma, silence, and social marginalization as themes in modern literature.
Excerpt from the Book
Restructuring the Patriarchal Norms: Sarita as a Champion of Women Empowerment
The hands became a body. Thrusting itself upon me. The familiarity of the sensation suddenly broke the shell of silent terror that had enclosed me. I emerged into the familiar world of rejection. My rejection that had become so drearily routine. I struggled to utter the usual words of protest, to say... No, not now, stop it. But the words were strangled in my throat. The face above mine was the face of a stranger. Blank , set and rigid, it was a face I had never seen. A man I did not know.
― Shashi Deshpande, The Dark Holds No Terrors
The Dark Holds No Terrors is the debut novel of the prolific author Shashi Deshpande, published in the year 1980. This novel is about an educated, economically independent middle-class woman, Sarita. The novel exhibits the oppressive silence and surrender of the Indian women. Women’s struggle, in the context of a contemporary Indian society, to find and preserve her identity as wife, mother and most important of all, as a human being, is Shashi Deshpande’s major concern as a creative writer and this appears in all her important stories. Saritha is the female protagonist of the novel.
Summary of Chapters
Redefining the Shadow Lines: A Reinterpretation of History Through Narratives: This chapter analyzes how Amitav Ghosh uses memory and innovative narrative techniques in "The Shadow Lines" to blend personal and national history.
Restructuring the Patriarchal Norms: Sarita as a Champion of Women Empowerment: An exploration of Shashi Deshpande's "The Dark Holds No Terrors," focusing on Sarita’s journey from self-alienation to identity assertion within a patriarchal structure.
Merging the Shattered Selves: The Question of Self Realization in Disgrace by J. M Coetzee: This analysis examines how J.M. Coetzee’s "Disgrace" portrays the trauma of rape and the silent protest of its female protagonists in post-apartheid South Africa.
Euphemisms of Existence: A Reading of the Relationship Between Food and Gender: A discussion on how food production and consumption are heavily gendered, serving as tools of social construction and patriarchal power.
Trauma Theory: A Retrospective Analysis: This chapter provides a historical and theoretical overview of trauma theory in literature, referencing seminal works by Sigmund Freud and Cathy Caruth.
Gender Stereotypes and Fairy Tales: A Reading: An investigation into how modern cinematic adaptations of classic fairy tales often perpetuate traditional gender stereotypes under the guise of capitalist entertainment.
The Thousand Faces of Night: A Reading of the Relationship Between Indian Myths and Gender Stereotypes.: This chapter examines Gita Hariharan’s use of Indian mythology to address women's struggles and the quest for self-image.
Unearthing the Green Elements in The Hungry Tide: : An ecocritical reading of Amitav Ghosh's "The Hungry Tide," highlighting the interaction between the Sunderbans ecosystem and the human inhabitants.
Keywords
Gender, Ecology, History, Patriarchy, Identity, Trauma, Feminism, Literature, Post-colonialism, Mythology, Silence, Sociology, Narrative, Environment, Empowerment
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this anthology?
The work focuses on how themes of gender, ecology, and history are explored, challenged, and reconstructed in various works of contemporary fiction.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The main themes include the struggle for female identity against patriarchal norms, the environmental relationship between nature and society, and the historical analysis of literary narratives.
What is the main research question of the anthology?
The anthology seeks to trace and locate how the interconnected themes of gender, ecology, and history are depicted and problematized in the works of selected modern novelists.
Which academic methods are employed?
The authors use methodologies such as ecocriticism, feminist literary analysis, historical reinterpretation, and trauma theory to analyze the fictional texts.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body examines specific novels such as "The Shadow Lines," "The Dark Holds No Terrors," "Disgrace," and "The Hungry Tide," providing deep analytical readings of their characters and underlying social narratives.
Which key terms characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as gender dynamics, post-apartheid discourse, ecocriticism, patriarchal structures, trauma, and myth-making.
How does the work analyze Shashi Deshpande's approach to gender?
It highlights how Deshpande illustrates the psychological struggles and the search for identity of an educated Indian woman trapped in a male-dominated society.
What role does the Sunderbans play in the analysis of Ghosh's work?
The Sunderbans are analyzed as a hostile yet generous entity, where the environment serves as a setting that reveals the interdependence between nature and human life.
- Citation du texte
- Aleena Rosmin Abraham (Auteur), 2019, Euphemisms of Existence. Gender, Ecology and History in Fiction, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/503688
