Abstract

Anita Desai (1937) is a pioneer of the psychological novel in Indian writing in English. She has explicitly stated her preference for the private rather than the public dimension of novel writing. For her it is “depth which is interesting delving deeper and deeper in a character or a scene rather them going round about it” (69). It is this involvement with the psyche of women and their reaction to the far changing situation that makes her the first psychological woman novelist in Indian writing in English. Her speciality lies in the exploration of the dark inner world, plunging into the limitless depths of the mind and bringing into the forefront the hidden contours of the human psyche. . Anita Desai is concerned with the dark, mysterious inner world of her extremely introverted characters who are emotionally fragile and often on the verge of psychological breakdown. They are alienated from the world, society and family around them because they are not ready to surrender to repressive social strictures and, the stereotypical roles ascribed to women by patriarchy.

Description