POSTMODERN FEMINISIM - A JOURNEY FROM NAIVETY TOWARDS SELF ATTAINMENT: A STUDY OF FICTIONAL OEUVRE OF MANJU KAPUR

Abstract

This paper focuses on the detailed study of women’s movements that mould Indian feminism to different trajectories mainly in the pre- independence and the post- independence periods. This study sets the background of the genesis of women’s movements and its subsequent role in the amelioration of the status of Indian women. Pre- independent Indian feminist movement can be traced back to the social reform movements of 1820s and 1850s and ‘Gandhian Feminism’ of 1920s ((Kumar 67)). The study argues that post – independent India being vested with the advantages of globalization and neoliberalism, witnesses emergence of changing gender roles that calls for understanding a phenomenon of ‘new femininities’ which is circumscribed by third wave feminism. This trend of emerging ‘new femininities’ has been further studied at the backdrop of the philosophy of postmodern feminism. The second part of the study reveals that the literary genre particularly novels by women appear not only to be concerned with female struggle for equal rights but also with the inherent conflicts and constraints in implementing these rights in society which still clutches tightly with the traditional patterns. Manju Kapur is a contemporary postmodern Indian woman novelist who through her fictional protagonists addresses the issues faced by women today. The study further explores that despite oppositions from all sides along with countless hurdles, the women of Kapur have learnt not to succumb and in this process they have proceeded towards self realisation and self actualisation. The significance of the present study lies in unraveling the novels of Manju Kapur from the perspective of postmodern feminism. This study will help in formulating a new feminine consciousness in keeping with the changing times by relating the fictional works of Manju kapur to the contemporary realities and pragmatism.