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- Title
UNDERCURRENTS OF BOLD SOCIAL CRITICISM AND PROTEST IN SELECT STORIES BY JYOTIRMOYEE DEVI.
- Authors
Chowdhury, Rama
- Abstract
This paper is going to confer on the hefty undercurrent of social criticism from gender-specific viewpoint manifest in three thematically and structurally connected short stories of eminent Bengali writer JyotirmoyeeDevi (1894-1988). JyotirmoyeeDevi grew up inJaypur, Rajasthan and composed most of her literary works while living in Patna, Bihar and later in Kolkata. The three stories Annakali, Pinjrapole and Martyer Apsara, published separately in the beginning-the first two between 1937-1948 and the last one after 1980, have been anthologised in a single booh under the title Martyer Apsara (1987). These stories together can be treated as an exquisite documentation of the saga of deprivation, oppression, and anguish of a clan whose existence, though weaved into the mainstream of our social life, have been that of an isolation and agony. The stories expand spaces to present the deplorable conditions of women, particularly of Bengali Hindu widows thrust to live a life of an ascetic under rigid customs of Hindu widowhood while being deprived of the basic human needs. Along with the precarious position of widows in joint Brahmin families, the 2nd story in the anthology is a bold and powerful commentary on the plights of widow clan residing in Kashi. The value of such literary documentation of social evils in the three stories lies both in their true depiction of the then societal conditions as well as in their relevance in today's world where gender discrimination and various forms of atrocities against women are rampant. This paper is an attempt to explore the aforesaid stories as valuable social document engraving courageous criticism against the tormenting, gender-biased social customs and practices.
- Subjects
DEVI, Jyotirmoyee; SOCIAL criticism in literature; CRITICISM writing; TEXTUAL criticism; DEPRIVATION (Psychology)
- Publication
Literary Endeavour, 2018, Vol 9, Issue 1, p107
- ISSN
0976-299X
- Publication type
Article