FEMINISM AND CONTEMPORARY INDIAN WOMEN'S WRITING

Book Details:

• Author: Elizabeth Jackson

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 2024

• ISBN: 9781349960880

• Pages: 209

• Cover: Hardcover

About the Book

This book presents a comparative and developmental study of the expression of feminist concerns in the works of four prominent Indian novelists writing in English: Kamala Markandaya, Nayantara Sahgal, Anita Desai, and Shashi Deshpande. These authors have been deeply engaged with women's issues in the postcolonial era and their novels reflect the complex interplay of gender, culture, and society. Elizabeth Jackson analyzes how these authors self-consciously address the roles, challenges, and struggles of women within the socio-political frameworks of postcolonial India.

The study delves into the ways in which each of these novelists explores women’s cultural identity, their positions in marriage, motherhood, sexuality, and the broader social structures that either support or resist patriarchal norms. Through a close examination of their narrative strategies and thematic concerns, Jackson offers valuable insights into the feminist discourse embedded within their works.

Contents

Introduction

1. Women, Cultural Identity and Social Class

2. Marriage and Sexuality

3. Motherhood and Other Work

4. Women’s Role in Maintaining and/or Resisting Patriarchy

5. Form and Narrative Strategy

About the Author

Elizabeth Jackson is a Sessional Lecturer in Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. She teaches courses on Victorian, colonial, and postcolonial literatures. Having completed her PhD at Goldsmiths College, University of London, in 2007, Jackson has contributed to the academic understanding of postcolonial feminist literature through her research and teaching.