FEMINIST CONCERNS IN THE NOVELS OF KAMALA MARKANDAYA AND RUTH PRAWER JHABVALA

The novels of Markandaya and Jhabvala, seem to particularly assert the sexual difference between men and women,which is the basic tenet of gyno criticism.As women’s writing reveals the possibility for a critique of language or patriarchal discussion, questions like how is a woman’s writing different from male writing? or what constitutes the difference? crop up. Feminist intellectuals argue that it is this difference that constitutes one of the major means to interpret and subvert patriarchal domination.The uniquely feminine style of writing and language used in novels may be called écriturefeminine.The usual longwindedness and the deficiency of form is considered to be an important trait of women’s writing.The female authors, in regional languages as well as in Indian English, took up the opportunity to question the old patriarchal practices through the means of the novel. Authors such as Kamala Markandaya, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Anita Desai, Nayantara Sahgal,Sashi Deshpande,Geeta Hariharan,Manju Kapur and Mahasweta Devi have written about the physical and psychological problems faced by women in Indian society.Language has always been looked upon as a powerful tool for studying male/female difference.In fact, more than in any other genre of literature, it is in fiction, particularly the novel, that women attempt to portray their contemplation realistically and unravel the construction of gendered identities in a male centred society.Markandaya and Jhabvalas narratives feature the elements chiefly associated with the persona of the new woman such as revolt, resistance, education and financial independence in order to examine gender assertion in India during and after the British rule. Women’s inner-self, their agonies, their pleasures etc. are better and more truly depicted by the women novelists.