Recreating Draupadi: A Study of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Palace of Illusions

Mythological retellings have explored those issues of the epics which were submerged in the objective representation of the events. Redefining the existence of the epical characters, these revisionist writings have presented the events from the alternate perspectives. With an attempt to deconstruct the concept of ‘truth’, the contemporary mythological retellings have tried to demystify the dominant ideologies, and for this purpose they had brought into forefront the overlooked characters. In the grand narrative of the epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata the perspectives of the women characters were often overlooked; at the same time the objective representation of the events could not provide the necessary space to delve deep into their psyche. Therefore, ample numbers of the contemporary mythological retellings have highlighted the lives of the women characters of the epics, by presenting the events from their perspectives to explore those facets of the ‘truth’ which were overlooked in the source texts. This research article has attempted to reconstruct the identity of Draupadi of the Mahabharata by focusing on her character as depicted by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni in her The Palace of Illusions, a wonderful mythological fiction reinterpreting the events of the epic Mahabharata from Draupadi’s perspective. Adopting a feminist stance, this research article has explored Draupadi’s resistance to patriarchal domination, and in this way, here an attempt has been undertaken to reassert her individuality and to redetermine her role in the epic.

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Relocating Heteronormativity and Questioning Feminism: A Study in the Fiction of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

SMART MOVES JOURNAL IJELLH ◽

10.24113/ijellh.v7i2.7075 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 23

Author(s):

Dr. Jayshree Singh ◽

Dr.Chhavi Goswami

Keyword(s):

Women Characters ◽

Public Space ◽

Critical Study ◽

Double Standards ◽

Women Novelists ◽

Feminist Literature ◽

Indian American ◽

Indian Origin ◽

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni ◽

Private And Public

A Critical Study of the Selected Novels of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni deals significantly with the post-feminist literature written by women novelists belonging to the Indian origin. She has delineated upon the thinking women of the Indian diaspora, whose mental faculty compels them to introspect their so long stereotypical status quo in the prevailing customs, traditions, myths, patriarchy, motherhood and marital life, that they have inherited or imbibed genetically to the alien lands far from their imaginary homelands. Due to literacy, technology, science, employment, migration, and the equal opportunities, economic independence, their sense of metaphysics has set equilibrium with their non-conventional discomfort zones and they have attempted to cross customized thresholds of comfort zones. They have advanced further from the set paradigms of women’s image which have been popularly prevalent from the historical perspective. the selected writings of the Indian – American diaspora woman author indicates that the dimensions of contextualizing in-betweenness, hybridity of thought in women’s personality and psyche have although been issues of conflicts and contradictions both in private and public space; however, they are more thoughtful to revamp and retrace their old-patterned trajectories for breaking the track of ice-ceiling. They have challenged fragile zones of both expectations and realities. Women characters in the novels of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Contemporary Indian-American Diaspora Woman Novelist) have been projected with the capacities of self-emancipation in their own negative and positive perspective; they represent the modus operandi of self-sufficient, self-independent and self-exploratory to emancipate their lives, although, in their quest of being free, they deviate. They acknowledge the fact of mutual understanding and acceptance of differences which are the metaphorical ways of resistance. They attempt to oscillate their self-disintegration and self-denigration. The selected novels discuss the double standards of society/community in terms of the expected standards and reality standards and that’s what makes sense in the author’s creative-writing scholarship that analytically, dexterously, meaningfully and emotionally brings out a contemporary critique on the choices, changes and commonalities confronted by women, against women, and for women. The author explores uncommon reoccurrences of gender existential needs, responsibilities and roles in order to demystify the stereotypical, sociological and psychological myths with regard to women’s thoughts and actions.

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НАРАТИВ ЯК КОНТЕНТНА ОСНОВА МІЖНАРОДНИХ СТРАТЕГІЧНИХ КОМУНІКАЦІЙ

State and Regions. Series: Social Communications ◽

10.32840/cpu2219-8741/2020.1(41).1 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 4

Author(s):

N. Zykun ◽

A. Bessarab ◽

L. Ponomarenko

Keyword(s):

Selection Method ◽

Historical Narrative ◽

Neutral Position ◽

Main Task ◽

Grand Narrative ◽

National Narrative ◽

Strategic Communications ◽

Analysis And Synthesis ◽

The Media ◽

International Interaction

The article, basing on the analysis of selected media texts with reference to narrative from the leading Ukrainian newspapers «Dzerkalo Tyzhnia» (Weekly Mirror), «Den» (Day), «Ukraina Moloda» (Young Ukraine) for 2016–2020, the semantic and content characteristics of the «narrative», «strategic narrative», «small narratives» nominations has established; the directions of the semantic realization of the meaning of the narrative and its possibilities in the process of international strategic communications aimed at both external and internal audience, are outlined. It is proved that the main task of a strategic, or national, narrative is a reasoned explanation to the state population and interested audiences of specific realities, intentions, plans; justification of certain directions of state activity aimed at partners, at opponents and those occupying a neutral position.There are divided the spheres of use of different narratological nominations: in international communications and in scientific discourse, the conceptual foundations of state identity and international interaction are referred to as strategic narrative or grand narrative, in publicistic discourse the narrative nomination is used, more rarely – historical narrative, national narrative.The scientific novelty of the research is that the focus is on the media aspect of the use of one of the key concepts of strategic communications and the role of the media in its implementation.The main general scientific methods used in this article are descriptive and comparative ones, as well as analysis and synthesis. The following empirical methods were also used: solid selection method (solid selection method for allocation texts with the «narrative» lexeme; quantitative method of content analysis with elements of qualitative one – for characterizing the semantic of the «narrative» term).The results of the study can be used in the complex research of the technology of international strategic communications and in the practical activity of specialists in international strategic communications, a new trend in Ukraine, which is currently under active institutionalization.Key words: international strategic communications, propaganda, narrative, strategic narrative, grand narrative, «small narratives».

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Analytical Study of Violence Theme in Victoria Schwab’s This Savage Song

University of Chitral Journal of Linguistics and Literature ◽

10.33195/jll.v3i1.110 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Analytical Study ◽

Research Paper ◽

The Novel ◽

Vicious Cycle ◽

Aggressive Approach ◽

Research Article ◽

The People ◽

The Social ◽

Different Dimensions ◽

The Right

This research article focuses on the theme of violence and its representation by the characters of the novel “This Savage Song” by Victoria Schwab. How violence is transmitted through genes to next generations and to what extent socio- psycho factors are involved in it, has also been discussed. Similarly, in what manner violent events and deeds by the parents affect the psychology of children and how it inculcates aggressive behaviour in their minds has been studied. What role is played by the parents in grooming the personality of children and ultimately their decisions to choose the right or wrong way has been argued. In the light of the theory of Judith Harris, this research paper highlights all the phenomena involved: How the social hierarchy controls the behaviour. In addition, the aggressive approach of the people in their lives has been analyzed in the light of the study of second theorist Thomas W Blume. As the novel is a unique representation of supernatural characters, the monsters, which are the products of some cruel deeds, this research paper brings out different dimensions of human sufferings with respect to these supernatural beings. Moreover, the researcher also discusses that, in what manner the curse of violence creates an inevitable vicious cycle of cruel monsters that makes the life of the characters turbulent and miserable.

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Critique virale et genre trafiqué dans Valérie par Valérie par La Rédaction

Nottingham French Studies ◽

10.3366/nfs.2020.0271 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 59 (1) ◽

pp. 51-66

Author(s):

Gabriel Proulx

Keyword(s):

Specific Form ◽

Economic Mechanism ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

Literary Forms ◽

Dominant Ideologies ◽

Critical Paths ◽

Political Economic

Valérie par Valérie opens new critical paths which are fertile, though difficult to unpack. Published under the enigmatic and collective name La Rédaction, this book – whose main (or only) author seems to be Christophe Hanna – develops what we could call a viral critique, which seeks to occupy dominant ideologies to undermine them from within rather than oppose them with a new ideology. This article aims firstly to define Hanna's viral critique, based on his own theoretical works and Guy Debord's notion of spectacle as a social and economic mechanism. It then analyzes the specific form taken by that critique in Valérie par Valérie, where the author opposes the separation of literary and non-literary forms, as well as contemporary ultracapitalism and its political-economic ramifications. Finally, the ethical implications of this type of implicit critical exercise are explored through semioethics, in order to determine the efficiency of Hanna's project.

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Conversation with a Truth Seeker

Psychoanalysis and History ◽

10.3366/pah.2006.8.1.161 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 161-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jaap Bos

Keyword(s):

History Of Psychoanalysis ◽

History Of ◽

Concept Of Truth ◽

Forms Of Knowledge

This paper is an invited response to Peter Rudnytsky's ‘Guardians of truth’ article. Taking issue with what are presented as fundamental theoretical and methodological caveats, this article discusses the question of when and how differing discourses on the history of psychoanalysis may or may not be compatible. In particular the author questions the validity of a concept of truth as defined from within a field of knowledge, to arrive at definitions of discourse and dialogue that can be useful to acquire new forms of knowledge.

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