Existentialism in Select Novels of Arun Joshi and John Maxwell Coetzee

Abstract

This thesis is a comparative study of the select novels of Arun Joshi, one of the major contemporary Indian English novelists, and John Maxwell Coetzee, a well-known South African novelist, in terms of Existentialism. It is possible to gain important insights into these two contemporary novelists fiction and their respective literary contexts by comparing and contrasting them with Existentialism. Both the novelists place a strong emphasis on the individual s personal responsibility to first become self-aware and then to strive to see the world more clearly and in a way that truly reflects their own sense of responsibility as authors and artists of their generations. newlineThe first chapter discusses the theoretical foundations of this research, which include existential theory, an overview of existentialism, its historical background and themes, and its impact on literature. It also provides a biographical overview of Arun Joshi and John Maxwell Coetzee. The second chapter of the thesis is entitled as Existentialism in Arun Joshi s- The Foreigner, The Strange Case of Billy Biswas and The Last Labyrinth. This chapter is concerned with the analysis of Arun Joshi s three select novels-The Foreigner, The Strange Case of Billy Biswas and The Last Labyrinth in light of Existentialism. It analyses the most striking and important themes of Existentialism such as Alienation, Existential Despair, Death, Existential Quest for Identity, Freedom of Choice, The Three Stages of Life and Existential Anxiety in a detailed way. The third chapter of the thesis is entitled as Existentialism in John Maxwell Coetzee s-Waiting for Barbarians, Life and Times of Michael K and Disgrace. This chapter is concerned with the analysis of John Maxwell Coetzee s select novels- Waiting for Barbarians, Life and Times of Michael K and Disgrace- in light of Existentialism. It analyses the most striking and important themes of Existentialism such as Bad Faith, Authenticity, Existential Angst, Absurdity and Alienation in a detailed way. The fourth chapter