Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging
A world, real or fictional, the entities that compose the world, and their relations with each other exist and undergo changes in space and time. The paper explores the interactions between space and social structures that affect the lives of the inhabitants of a narrative world; the effects of a na...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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The International Academic Forum
2024-12-01
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Series: | IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities |
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Online Access: | https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-arts-and-humanities/volume-11-issue-2/article-4/ |
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author | Gouthaman K J Nandini Pradeep J |
author_facet | Gouthaman K J Nandini Pradeep J |
author_sort | Gouthaman K J |
collection | DOAJ |
description | A world, real or fictional, the entities that compose the world, and their relations with each other exist and undergo changes in space and time. The paper explores the interactions between space and social structures that affect the lives of the inhabitants of a narrative world; the effects of a narrative environment on the subjectivities and social lives of characters. R. K. Narayan's short stories reveal multifarious relations within space; socially produced, politically re-shaped, and inherently contested. Autonomy and belonging of the characters are either facilitated or threatened by the existence of varied spaces, the inherent contemporaneous heterogeneity, scrutinized at distinct levels in different narratives. The short stories highlight how the life of an individual in Narayan’s fictional town Malgudi is transformed due to the changes in the narrative environment, when space is reshaped by personal, societal, or, political motives. The narratives critically explore the sacralization (a reversal of profanation) of spaces that suddenly excludes the ordinary, representing the transformation of public spaces freely used by people into exclusionary, or sacred, spaces. The paper investigates how the transformation of spatial relations and its dynamic impact in the narrative environment reveals the complex interplay between space, power, identity, and autonomy. |
format | Article |
id | doaj-art-1f248eec22414acdaa84d38a0f6ae4a4 |
institution | Kabale University |
issn | 2187-0616 |
language | English |
publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
publisher | The International Academic Forum |
record_format | Article |
series | IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities |
spelling | doaj-art-1f248eec22414acdaa84d38a0f6ae4a42025-01-21T01:56:16ZengThe International Academic ForumIAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities2187-06162024-12-01112516210.22492/ijah.11.2.04Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and BelongingGouthaman K J0Nandini Pradeep J1 Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, India Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, IndiaA world, real or fictional, the entities that compose the world, and their relations with each other exist and undergo changes in space and time. The paper explores the interactions between space and social structures that affect the lives of the inhabitants of a narrative world; the effects of a narrative environment on the subjectivities and social lives of characters. R. K. Narayan's short stories reveal multifarious relations within space; socially produced, politically re-shaped, and inherently contested. Autonomy and belonging of the characters are either facilitated or threatened by the existence of varied spaces, the inherent contemporaneous heterogeneity, scrutinized at distinct levels in different narratives. The short stories highlight how the life of an individual in Narayan’s fictional town Malgudi is transformed due to the changes in the narrative environment, when space is reshaped by personal, societal, or, political motives. The narratives critically explore the sacralization (a reversal of profanation) of spaces that suddenly excludes the ordinary, representing the transformation of public spaces freely used by people into exclusionary, or sacred, spaces. The paper investigates how the transformation of spatial relations and its dynamic impact in the narrative environment reveals the complex interplay between space, power, identity, and autonomy.https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-arts-and-humanities/volume-11-issue-2/article-4/autonomybelongingmalgudir. k. narayansacralizationspace |
spellingShingle | Gouthaman K J Nandini Pradeep J Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities autonomy belonging malgudi r. k. narayan sacralization space |
title | Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging |
title_full | Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging |
title_fullStr | Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging |
title_full_unstemmed | Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging |
title_short | Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging |
title_sort | narrative environment of malgudi space autonomy and belonging |
topic | autonomy belonging malgudi r. k. narayan sacralization space |
url | https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-arts-and-humanities/volume-11-issue-2/article-4/ |
work_keys_str_mv | AT gouthamankj narrativeenvironmentofmalgudispaceautonomyandbelonging AT nandinipradeepj narrativeenvironmentofmalgudispaceautonomyandbelonging |