Postcolonial Novels Research Articles

Deciphering the Postcolonial Discourse: An Oriental Reading for The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini and The Parisian by Isabella Hammad

Postcolonial literature explores the effects of colonialism and its aftermath, shedding light on the complex relationships between colonizers and the colonized. It challenges dominant narratives, gives voice to marginalized perspectives, and examines themes of identity, power, and cultural hybridity. It also addresses issues of nationalism, representationalism, opposition, ethnicity, and feminism. Postcolonial dialogue in literature refers to the discourse that emerges in the aftermath of colonialism, encompassing various elements such as the reshaping of identities, power dynamics, cultural exchanges, and responses to historical colonial narratives. It is often a space where writers and intellectuals from formerly colonized societies engage with and respond to the legacies of colonialism. A wide range of post-colonial novels has been published during the 1990s and the first years of the 21st century, including The Kite Runner by the Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini and The Parisian by the British-Palestinian novelist Isabella Hammad. These novels provide insight into the postcolonial experience, offering nuanced portrayals of the impacts of colonization on individuals and societies. This article aims to deciphering the postcolonial discourse in Khaled Housseini’s The Kite Runner and Isabella Hammad’s The Parisian using oriental lenses. An oriental perspective seems to offer a unique examination of the different experiences of those from oriental cultures, shedding light on the nuanced complexities of postcolonial discourse. Thus, the oriental perspective adds depth and nuance to the analysis of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Parisian by Isabella Hammad.

“Why shouldn’t I Be Wanted, Even loved?”: Eugenics, Reproduction, and the Postcolonial in Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death

ABSTRACT This article focuses on two postcolonial novels, Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death, and argues that through the novels’ explorations of sex, both narratives reconstruct eugenic views that haunt postcolonial societies today. Through sex scenes (and their interruption or absence), the novels illustrate how the characters from India and Sudan respectively experience oppression and discrimination. These experiences are direct outcomes of eugenic views on and practices aimed at selected groups. Through its focus on masturbation and female genital mutilation, as described in the two novels, this article frames the analysis of Animal’s People and Who Fears Death in relation to eugenics, sexual deviance, and sterilization, and foregrounds the ongoing oppression of postcolonial nations. This article carefully examines how eugenics has shaped or further intensified inequality. In particular, it draws parallels between eugenic practices and two kinds of oppression described in Animal’s People and Who Fears Death: the control exercised by the West over postcolonial countries, highlighted through western industrial capitalism’s lack of concern about the genetic health of postcolonial nations and the dysgenic impact of their industries, and patriarchal control of women.

Beauty with an Explanation and the Poetics of Acculturation: How, and Why, Michael Ondaatje’s Poetic Novels Work

Abstract Michael Ondaatje’s first three novels, those which cemented his international fiction career, each use a pattern in which metaphors which begin as isolated comparisons of A to B are also sequentially repackaged into the lesser known (but equally substitutive) trope of metonymy. In sequence, this metonymic use of metaphor fuses the self-evident comparison of metaphor with the more acculturated substitution of metonymy – a substitution taught within a culture, not self-evident like a metaphor – ultimately enacting a poetics of acculturation. Loading a novel’s metaphorical terms with sequential meaning was crucial to an Ondaatje who was not only transitioning from poet to novelist, but doing so in an aesthetic fusion of the postmodern and the postcolonial also found in other late-twentieth-century postcolonial novels.

Self-actualization in Postcolonial Novel: A Study on V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas

The aims of this study are to unfold the characteristics of self-actualization as reflected in A House for Mr. Biswas, a novel by V.S. Naipaul and to measure the range to which Mr. Biswas as a postcolonial character succeeded to reach to self-actualization. Self-actualization is a postcolonial term which indicates the desire to achieve one’s greatest potentials. The study has used the theory of Abraham Maslow who describes his concept of self-actualization in his theory of Hierarchy of Needs. The approach of this study is qualitative. V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas is a representative one among the postcolonial novels which possesses major aspects of postcolonial literature. Mr. Mohun Biswas, the protagonist of the novel successfully reach the level of self-actualization although he has some limitations. Mr. Biswas carries the significant aspects and features of a self-actualizing person.

Application of the schema-theoretic approach in the interpretation of the stream of consciousness in Wole Soyinka’s The Interpreters

Wole Soyinka’s novel The Interpreters (1965) is arguably one of the most challenging post-colonial novels to read and understand easily. The present paper adopts a pre-test post-test control group experimental treatment design. (Sixty university undergraduate students from three universities were selected and placed in two groups: experimental and control. 60 students from two hundred and thirty, 3 universities eighteen universities. The experimental group was taught using the schema theory and the control group was taught using the conventional method which entails whole class lecture, teacher led instruction. After the experimental treatment a pretest and a post-test was administered. A t-test ruled out pre-experimental differences between the groups. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) shows that there were statistically significant difference in comprehension level due to the Schema theory method. A multiple regression analysis established that different selected aspects of the stream-of-consciousness: interior monologue, association, montage, plot structure and myth and archetype contribute to the score. The study established that comprehension of stream of consciousness, as a literary technique can be investigated using schema theory.

Postcolonial Identity Crisis in Selected Contemporary Novels

The study argues that postcolonial novels can offer valuable insights into the nature of identity and the challenges of living in a postcolonial world. Homi Bhabha's theoretical framework is used in this study to analyze the complexities of cultural identity and the challenges that actors face as they navigate between their background and new cultural identities. The concept of hybridity, mimicry, and cultural difference developed by Bhabha are utilized to examine and comprehend these themes. It explains how novels such as Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie emphasize the contradictions between cultural hybridity and the need to adhere to mainstream cultural standards. The study also looks at the role of literature in developing our perception of cultural identity and encouraging empathy and understanding across cultures. The study employs an analytic approach for evaluating the postcolonial identity crisis in chosen contemporary novels, which entails an in-depth reading and analysis of the text. This may imply identifying essential themes and motifs relating to identity, cultural hybridity, and colonialism, as well as investigating how characters manage their sense of self in the face of cultural diversity. The study's findings emphasize the necessity of comprehending and appreciating the complexities of cultural identity in the context of globalization. It promotes constant postcolonial debate and reflection on identity as we confront the problems of cultural hybridity and try to build a more inclusive and just society that acknowledges and respects cultural differences. As a result, this study adds to our knowledge of postcolonial identity and its continuing importance within modern literature

Identification of Gender Based Discriminations in the Post-Colonial Novels of the Representative Indian English Novelists

The idea of gender based inequalities implies that in India, a gap in health, education, economy and political participation occurs between men and women. In India, gender based discrimination is a part and parcel of people’s life. Perhaps, due to this reason, The Global Gender Gap Report of 2013 ranks India high, on the inequality indices. Women have equal rights under the law to own property and receive equal inheritance rights, but in practice, women are at a disadvantage. However, this research paper aims to explore the issue with reference to the chronology of the Indian English Novels, authored by the Indian writers, who preferred English language as the medium of their literary creation. This paper tends to identify the gender based discriminations and their manner of execution in the novels of the prominent novelists of the post-independence era, from mid twentieth century to the present times. The most important reason to consider the post-independent Indian English novelists is that the case studies related to the issues began to intensify after the few decades of the independence. Recently, in the literary, social and electronic media realms the issues, like subjugation and exploitation of women are being openly discussed. Moreover, the present book too has given the place to these gender based issues among the other titles. Though, due to spatial constraints it was not possible to discuss all the writers, but the novels of the prominent Indian English novelist of international repute have been included in this paper.

The hybridity of Indies culture in Indonesian novel translation into French

Postcolonial novels incorporating hybrid culture elements into the story present new problems for translation. The hybrid elements that appear in the source text can be maintained or removed in the translation process, depending on the strategy adopted by the translator. This research focus on the hybrid elements of an Indonesian postcolonial novel and the strategy for maintaining and eliminating hybridity in its French translation. The data source in this research is the novel Bumi Manusia (1980) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer as the source text and its translation in French. Using a qualitative approach with a comparative method, the analysis results show that most of the efforts to maintain hybridity are carried out in translating social life terms and self-names because they are related to the frequency of occurrence, the complexity of meaning, and identity. However, on the whole, the translation is less hybrid as more dehybridization occurs. Moreover, hybridity in Bumi Manusia and its French translation, Le Monde des hommes, is manifested differently. Although the translation tends to create a homologous space of one culture, it still shows linguistic and cultural hybridity.

The Quest for Solidarity in a Failed Prescriptive and Aspirational Cosmopolitanism: African Travel Narratives and Duality of Cross-Cultural Encounters

The theme of travel has occupied a central position in African literature, as it serves as a conduit for exploring the complexities of cross-cultural interactions and the pursuit of solidarity. Within colonial and early post-colonial novels, authors have portrayed many challenges of physical and introspective journeys as reflections of failed solidarity. In this vein, travel narratives in African literature challenge the notion of solidarity as an idealistic aspiration. Using Historical and Cultural Context method with references to Reader-Response Theory, this study sheds light on the complexities and consequences of failed solidarity encounters. The findings reveal that cosmopolitan ideals, whether prescriptive or aspirational, cannot bridge the gaps caused by social, economic, and political disparities without acknowledging and addressing power imbalances and structural inequalities between nations and communities. This study offers insights into alternative pathways to genuine and transformative solidarity, ultimately contributing to a pragmatic understanding of borderless cosmopolitan ideals.

Arundhati Roy in Thai : compromising the linguistic hybridity in translation

The article examines the Thai translations of Arundhati Roy's novels, The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, which feature linguistic hybridity that addresses the complex, intermingling realities of the former colonized space. Using Klinger's (2015) concepts of symbolic and iconic hybridity to explain the motivation behind the use of non-standard language in Roy's postcolonial novels and their Thai translations, this article argues that the Thai versions fell short of retaining a reasonable degree of linguistic hybridity because the translator chose a compromising method of making Roy's novels more understandable to Thai readers. By compromising, the translator used a specific method of transliterating Pali-Sanskrit etymological terms, a cushioning strategy, and footnotes. The translations appear to contradict the author's viewpoint on the dynamics of core and periphery languages. Multicultural expressions that are meant to symbolically represent different levels of power in the real world are ignored, thereby failing to convey Roy's intention of defying former colonial monolingual practice and breaking free from such a legacy.

CODE MIXING AS POSTCOLONIAL MARKER: A CORPUS BASED ANALYSIS OF PAKISTANI ENGLISH POSTCOLONIAL NOVELS

The scope, nature, significance, and causes of code mixing in Pakistani Post-Colonial novels are discussed in the current study. It highlights the conceptual frameworks created by Kachru (1983) and the Modiano’s model of English (1999). The Heart Divided written by Mumyaz Shah Nawaz, Bitter Gourd written by Talat Abbasi, My Feudal Lord written by Tehmina Durrani, Burnt Shadows written by Kamila Shamsie, and The Triple Mirror of the Self written by Zulifkar Ghose were five post-colonial novels of Pakistani English authors that were chosen as a sample for this study. The features of post-colonialism in these works have been examined by the authors. Code mixing of a relatively larger extent has been discovered in English novels written by Pakistani authors in this research. The authors of these novels haven’t denigrated native dialects; instead, they’ve emphasized the significance of Pakistani English, since the English language occasionally falls short of meeting locals' communication needs. These translations into other native languages are made to fill in the vocabulary spaces of the ideological concepts that cannot be expressed in English. These borrowings are not intended to portray the code-mixing English as a poor variant. We draw the conclusion that the usage of local words has brought attention to the value of local languages and raised concerns about the lingua franca. Keywords: Code Mixing, Corpus Based Analysis, Pakistani English Novels, Post-Colonial Novels

Traumatized Immigrant: Monica Ali’s Brick Lane

Postcolonial fiction and trauma are almost coalesced into one another as a result of the nature of postcolonial cultural condition. Trauma emerges as one of the most important and inevitable themes in postcolonial novels written, in particular, by the British authors of colonial origin. In Brick Lane, Monica Ali portrays the tragic destiny of Nazneen, a young Bangladeshi woman, forced into an arranged marriage, when she is eighteen, to a Bangladeshi man in his forties living in London. It is a story of trauma, migration and adultery. After her mother’s suicide, Nazneen’s father arranges her marriage to Chanu and sends her away from home to the Imperial centre. As a postcolonial Bangladeshi immigrant, Nazneen not only suffers from the trauma of her deceased mother but also from the trauma of her arranged marriage that results in the birth of a son who dies when he is only a few months old. In addition to her personal breakdown after a series of tragic events, she inevitably undergoes cultural clashes. This study discusses Nazneen’s traumatic background and her postcolonial identity and questions whether or not her tragic situation stems from the postcolonial cultural condition.

The Identification of Gender Based Discriminations in the Post-Colonial Novels of the Representative Indian English Novelists

The Identification of Gender Based Discriminations in the Post-Colonial Novels of the Representative Indian English Novelists

THE SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPT OF THE STRANGER AND ITS METHODOLOGICAL USE IN LITERATURE

This article aims to demonstrate the methodological approach I took on my research about the sociological term “Stranger” and its expression in literary terms. I deconstruct the term “Stranger”, since it was coined in 1950, analyzing sociological and cultural theories which address the concept: foreigner, immigrant, alien, outsider, pariah, marginal. Although all these deal with the point of view of identity, the definition of Stranger lies primarily in the difference between the “other” versus a group. This binary thinking can be conditioned by geography or bring about discomfort as the Stranger is seen by the group as someone who does not belong to their circle. I found these concepts reflected in post-colonial novels, where notions of identity and the Stranger mingle, in the struggle between the dominant outsider and the submissive colonized people. Since Stranger may be an acquired condition and its status is not rigid, for it is a given characteristic rather than a natural one, I followed a methodological cross-cultural comparison of the term Stranger in both a diachronic and synchronic perspectives. This project deals with cross-cultural identities and contributes to highlight the notion of the Stranger in literature.

TRAUMA AND AGORAPHOBIA IN JANE URQUHART'S A MAP OF GLASS

A Map of Glass, written by Jane Urquhart, is one of the postcolonial novels that is filled with notions of love, loss and memories. However, it presents one of the main characters struggling with a psychological condition which prevented her from living normal for a long term of her life. This study focuses on this topic in the novel and sheds light on the reasons behind the character's trauma, the consequences of the trauma and whether she managed to convalesce from such trauma and restore her life back. This study applies with Dominick LaCapra's concepts Acting out and Working through in explaining her condition of trauma. Additionally, it provides further knowledge about the lives of traumatized people, the difficulties they face and their ongoing struggles with life in order to gain more understanding of the horrors of trauma since most people are ignorant about these issues. This study traces the process that the character went through to free herself and overcome her condition.

İnsan ruhunun yağmacıları: Edebi travma teorisi bağlamında Abdulrazak Gurnah’ın Gravel Heart romanının bir eleştirisi

Gravel Heart (2017) is the ninth postcolonial novel of Tanzanian-born British novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah who was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. Being a part of his literary diction, his novel explores in-depth justification of traumatic migrant stories with neurological symptoms like sense of (un)belonging, assimilation, naturalisation, the hybridity of values and norms, and a keen sense of in-betweenness. Born in the postcolonial setting of his hometown, the migrant protagonist is exposed to the material and spiritual confiscations of the western rulers or their representatives which brings about neurotic concerns like an inevitable sense of shame and quilt. It is clear in his novel that his hometown and interpersonal relations were corrupted and abused by the local contributors of the colonial hegemonies. Having a chance to emigrate to England as a seemingly reward for his surrendering at the beginning, the narrator questions his use in such a plundered world even after years of wranglings back in his motherland. In this study, the theme of ‘plunderers of the human spirit’ in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Gravel Heart will be discussed in terms of literary trauma theory which aims to legitimise trauma narratives by literary devices such as fragmentation, language manipulation, repetition, and intertextuality to extrapolate the meaning arising from extreme traumatic stress within the frame of postcolonial novels

The Indigenous Vision of Ecology in The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa

The contributions of Mario Vargas Llosa, along with other “boom” writers, to Latin American literature have drawn attention to Third World literature. His novels, apart from functioning on multidirectional social issues, create an awareness of the environmental issues of the Amazons. Concerning ecological issues, postcolonial countries face more crises compared to developed countries. Literary works focusing on environmental degradation emerge from these countries. Llosa’s The Storyteller is an ecocritical novel that can provoke a revaluation of man-nature interactions through an exploration of Indigenous culture. This article is an attempt to bring out the Indigenous vision of ecology as present in the novel The Storyteller by Llosa. It also advocates the need for critical analysis of postcolonial novels, which will reveal connections between imperialism, environmental degradation, capitalism, and cultural hegemony.

Dissolution of Cultural Diversity, Morality and Immigrants’ Dreams in John Lanchester’s Capital

Immigrants from colonised countries live in many European countries, including Portugal, England, Germany and France. The prime reason for their immigration is to make money. Many post-colonial novels reflect the terrible condition of the immigrants in the world. In general, they highlight the ruin of multi-culturalism, morality and kindness in the prevailing society. The European countries focus on the fundamental needs and their expectations. They fail to protect the young immigrants and their aims. John Lanchester’s Capital boastfully describes the impact of the inevitable immigration of Asians and Africans to London. It is observed from the study that some immigrants are attracted by the life of aristocratic Londoners. This influences them to involve in criminal and immoral activities to live a luxurious life. As a result, London becomes a place of immorality. The dreams and cultures of the immigrants are entirely dissolute. On the one hand, the immigrants are considered to be slaves and criminals and on the other hand, they are exploited in sports, education and business contexts. This article brings out the condition of the immigrants in Europe with special reference to John Lanchester’s Capital through a qualitative study.

Review of Displacement, Space, and Identity in the Postcolonial Novels of Jhumpa Lahiri, Rohinton Mistry and Manju Kapur

Purpose: This study focuses on the themes of displacement, space, and identity depicted in the post-colonial novels of Jhumpa Lahiri, Rohinton Mistry, and Manju Kapur. Post-colonial writings, particularly novels, deal with two major issues concerning the ‘modern people’ - displacement and search for identity. This study tries to analyze the treatment of these themes in the selected novels of the authors selected for the study. Design/Methodology/Approach: For the study, many research articles, books, and research theses have been reviewed. Previous studies on similar lines have been thoroughly read and reviewed to get a comprehensive idea of the work that has been done so far. Both offline and online resources have been consulted for the study. An exploratory analytical discussion approach of research methodology is adopted to carry on the study. Finding/Result: After reading and reviewing the resources available on the topic selected for the study, it has been found that the theme of displacement, space and search for identity has been a recurrent theme in the novels of Jhumpa Lahiri, Rohinton Mistry, and Manju Kapur. These issues have been dealt with in the novels of these writers either explicitly or as an underlying theme. Originality/Value: The study proposed to be conducted will be original since the study dwells mainly on displacement it focuses on space in the formation of identity. Space excludes and includes individuals and communities. The analysis on displacement in connection with space and identity in the writings of the diasporic writers and writings on diaspora sheds a light on the aspects of the formation of identities in the postcolonial scenario. Paper Type: Review Article

Review of Displacement, Space, and Identity in the Postcolonial Novels of Jhumpa Lahiri, Rohinton Mistry and Manju Kapur

Review of Displacement, Space, and Identity in the Postcolonial Novels of Jhumpa Lahiri, Rohinton Mistry and Manju Kapur