Indian Postmodern English Novels - Diachronic Survey
Indian Postmodern English Novels - Diachronic Survey
Indian Postmodern English Novels - Diachronic Survey
M. Subha
Bharathi Womens College,
Chennai, India
Dr. T. Jayasudha
Bharathi Womens College,
Chennai, India
ARTICLE INFO
Article History
The paper received
on: 19/02/2014
Accepted after peerreview on: 02/06/2014
Published on: 01/09/2014
Keywords:
Indian Novels, Diachronic
Survey, Postmodern Novels,
Translated Indian Novels,
Indian Criticism.
ABSTRACT
The Indian literary scenario, after 1980, is typically
postmodern in all walks of life as it has been with the rest of
the world. There are a number of rationales that have gone
into the making of it. And its outcome has also been multidirectional.
In India, more than post world war
circumstances, postcolonial pressures have played a crucial
and unique role. It is a fact that a genre called Indian Writing
in English is unlimitedly and enormously flourished and
continues to do so only during this period i.e. after 1980 to
2010. Under this background, this paper documents
Postmodern Indian English Novel highlighting its past, and
other aspects like Translated (regional vernacular) Novels into
English, and the contemporary books on criticism.
Suggested Citation:
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
1. Introduction
This study aims at consolidating the Indian
English Literature after 1980. There are a
number of books produced by literary
stalwarts like Srinivasa Iyengar, C. D.
Narasimmaiya, M. K. Naik etc., explaining
the beginning and the progress up to 1980.
But till date, tentative compilation is lacking
and this paper will be handy for a briefing
over the contemporary literary pedalling of
around three and a half decades. Apart from
the deficit of proper published source of
works consulted than Wikipedia, every now
and then, periodically this kind of history is
mandatory.
Postmodernism is the term used to
denote the depiction of life after world war-II
in Art, Literature and Culture and the kind of
changes that manifested due to this in all
walks of life across the world. Postcolonial
features also come under this account. The
depiction finds place in fine arts,
architecture, literature, philosophy, ethics,
culture, custom etc. The study of these
features and its consequent outcome in mans
creations, foregrounding fragmentation, and
a sense of alienation is postmodernism. The
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
(1990)
explains
the
features
of
postmodernism in literature as:
Post modernity is said to be a culture of
fragmentary sensations, eclectic nostalgia,
disposable simulacra, and promiscuous
superficiality, in which the traditionally
valued qualities of depth, coherence,
meaning, originality, and authenticity are
evacuated or dissolved amid the random
swirl of empty signals. Postmodernism
may be seen as a continuation of
modernisms
alienated
mood
and
disorienting techniques and at the same
time as an abandonment of its determined
quest for artistic coherence in a fragmented
world: in very crude terms, where a
modernist artist or writer would try to
July-September, 2014
wrest a meaning from the world through
myth, symbol, or formal complexity, the
post modernist greets the absurd or
meaningless confusion of contemporary
existence with a certain numbed or flippant
indifference, favouring self-consciously
depthless works of fabulation, pastiche,
bricolage, or aleatory disconnections
described above (P: 174-175)
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 64
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 65
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 66
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 67
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 68
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 69
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 70
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 71
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 72
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 73
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 74
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 75
IJ-ELTS
Volume: 2
Issue: 3
July-September, 2014
Cite this article as: Subha, M. & Jayasudha, T. (2014) Indian Postmodern English Novels: Diachronic Survey.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 2(3), 63-76
Retrieved from
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 76