Contextualizing gothic feminism patriarchy and sexuality a postcolonial reading of the select novels of angela carter bapsi sidhwa monica ali and khaled hosseini

Abstract

This thesis is on the bloodthirsty nature of patriarchy and the models are based on the Gothic novels and French tales of Charles Perrault who depicted the plight of women. The main focus of the thesis is on the victimization and marginalization of women. The questions of patriarchal oppression, sexuality and male subjugation are the focus of this research. Four famous postcolonial novelists are under investigation; Angela Carter is a British writer who won the Nobel Prize, Bapsi Sidhwa is a Pakistani woman writer settled in America, Monica Ali belongs to Bangladesh and Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan writer. There are countless research papers, books and journals on all these writers but most of the research work has been done on the themes and narrative techniques. The present study adds new dimensions to the research domain; the main focus is on bloodthirsty patriarchy, sexuality and abuse of female body. The writers under research have depicted the sufferings and anguish of women who are trapped in the net of bloodthirsty patriarchy. It has been observed that the patriarchal societies are cruel and oppressive like the Gothic fiction. This study has explored the issues of loss of identities and sexual oppression of women. The main texts of Angela Carter, Bapsi Sidhwa, Monica Ali and Khaled Hosseini are examined and analyzed. Carter is a prominent modern British feminist, a postmodernist, novelist and a surrealist. Carter created a galaxy of bizarre women characters dominating the plots of The Magic Toyshop (1967), Nights at the Circus (1984) and The Passion of New Eve (1977). Maggie Tonkin talks about the insidious effects of patriarchal power on the psyche of women. Carter exploded the myths of femininity highlighting the destructive nature of male domination. Carter relied on the technique of inter-textuality. She was greatly influenced by Hoffmann s The Sandman, Proust s philosophy of life and gruesome tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Feminism and freedom of sexuality are the most fascinating features of her novels.