Feminism In Indian Writing In English

This book is a comparative and developmental study of the expression of feminist concerns in the novels of Kamala Markandaya, Nayantara Sahgal, Anita Desai, and Shashi Deshpande, among the best known and most prolific Indian novelists writing in English, who have been self-consciously engaged with women's issues during the postcolonial era.

Contributed articles presented at a seminar hosted by Andhra University on 20th century women authors from India.

"Feminism is rapidly developing as a significant critical ideology; it constitutes a major segment of the contemporary writing in English. The two-volume anthology has detailed discussions on the writings of Anita Desai, Shashi Deshpande, Bharati Mukherjee, Arundhati Roy, Manju Kapur, Kamala Das, Githa Hariharan, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Bapsi Sidhwa. The central objective of the book is to discuss the theoretical investigations carried out by Indian women writers in their works and to arrive at a deeper understanding of feminist contentions." "R. K. Dhawan teaches English at S.B.S. College, University of Delhi. He has lectured extensively at many universities, including those at Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Singapore, Tunisia, Italy and Australia." Publisher's note.

Includes songs by Buddhist nuns, testimonies of medieval rebel poets and court historians, and the voices of more than 60 other writers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the diverse selections are a rare early essay by an untouchable woman; an account by the first feminist historian; and a selection from the first novel written in English by an Indian woman.