The Novels of Anita Desai: A Feminist Perspective

The book is a pioneering study of its kind, chronologically examining the novels of Anita Desai mostly from a feminist point of view. The book excels in formally analysing Indian and western traditions of feminism, man-woman relationship and art of characterisation in the overall context of the feminine psyche which it thoroughly examines. Anita Desai’s is a world of married women who combat to get out of the manacles that bind them; to evolve from being a mere non-entity victim to a vibrant individual capable of breaking the fetters without breaking the relationship. The book is a voyage from a sense of incompetence and paranoia to self-awareness and resilience, to self-poise and concord within the family matrix. Dr. Gupta shows how Anita Desai has depicted the depths of human consciousness and subconsciousness in her existential concern which makes her writings uniquely powerful through feminism. Hence, the need and justification of the book to undertake the present study of her new perspective on feminism.