MAGICAL REALISM IN CHITHRA BANNERJEE DIVAKARUNI’S THE MISTRESS OF SPICES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i3.2024.5722Keywords:
Magical Realism, Identity Crisis, Hybrid Culture, MetamorphosisAbstract [English]
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni explains magical realism and traces its origin in this paper. In Divakaruni’s novels, the opposites co-exist but instead of contradicting, they only complement one another. Her vivid and engaging style strongly supports the character development of the protagonists. The coexistence of magical fantasy and the characteristics of hybrid culture with postcolonial or postmodern novelistic devices in her novels and short stories has often led the author to define her writing approach as magical realism.
In Mistress of Spices, Tilo plays many roles and keeps on changing her names to befit her roles. This universalizes the complex problem of identity crisis that the Indians try to cope up with, in a foreign land. She has been changing her name from NayanTara as a daughter to Bhagyavati during her stay with the pirates, then to Tilo, and finally Maya when she finds her love. The name Maya is very interesting to note since it means illusion. One can pause and ask whether Maya is real or another illusion created by the author to enhance the magical suspense in the novel or whether it is the newly found identity of Tilo. The name is noteworthy since the novel has magical elements. The name “Maya” reinforces the theme.
References
Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. The Mistress of Spices. London:Black Swan, 1997. Print.
Iyengar, Srinivasa. K.R. Indian Writing in English. New Delhi: Sterling, 1962. Print.
Khushu-Lahiri, Rajyashree and ShwetaRao. India on a Platter:A Study of GurinderChadha andPaul MayedaBergesCinematic Adaption of The Mistress of Spices. Web. 25 Sept.
Lamor, Lisa. “The Jagged Path of Diaspora in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Mistress ofSpices” Web. 25 Sept. 2014
Metka ZUPANČIČ “Ethics of Wisdom and Compassion in the Novels by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni” Asian Studies I (XVII), 1 (2013), pp. 105,111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4312/as.1.1.105-11
Seshachari, Neila C. “Writing As Spiritual Experience: A Conversation with Chitra
Banerjee Divakaruni”. Web.25 Sept.2014.
Vega-González, Susana. "Negotiating Boundaries in Divakaruni's The Mistress of Spices and
Naylor's Mama Day". Comparative Literature and Culture. 5.2 (2003).CLCWeb. Purdue University. Web. 21 July 2012.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitra_Banerjee_Divakaruni http://english.aizeonpublishers.net/content/2014/5/eng147-150.pdf
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Suja J, Dr. P. Helmsly Solomon
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
