lassi and lychees
I have decided to focus my paper on the global literary field and the marketing of post colonial literature with regards, specifically to indian authors such as Rushdie and Roy and Huggans article on the Post-Colonial exotic.
There has been quite a large number of indian authors who have produced literary works of a similar magical realistic style which has been in many cases seen as an imitation of Rushdie. it deals with the domestication of the exotic and the tendancy of these authors to portray India in a certain light; of robust pickles, succulent sweet fruit and explosions of colour. The line of foreign territory not crossed by these authors in fear of alienating the foreign readers too much is of great interest.
The commercialising of education and the way in which money is the driving force nowadays of such a field as literature is rather unfortunate. Authors whose private lives and celebrity status affect their book sales tend to become treasonous to themselves and lose their depth of content in order to provide the consuming public with something more digestible for a light read before embarking on a beach holiday in goa and the spin offs that these books have on areas such as the travel and fashion industry is rather suspicious….
I think another important consideration to consider is location, especially if you’re looking at Roy and Rushdie. Rushdie lived in England since he was 11 while Roy spent more of her life still living in India, although she traveled between a few cities. It may be worth considering whether Rushdie’s location would make him more susceptible to Western commercialism in his literature (he wrote the book in England). However, since Midnight’s Children is what brought Rushdie to fame, it’s possible that any effects you’d see would be after Midnight’s Children brought him fame. Meanwhile, Roy wrote her book in India. Looking into whether you can discern any influences on the author;s location relative to where their books focus would be an interesting question.
I think another important consideration to consider is location, especially if you’re looking at Roy and Rushdie. Rushdie lived in England since he was 11 while Roy spent more of her life still living in India, although she traveled between a few cities. It may be worth considering whether Rushdie’s location would make him more susceptible to Western commercialism in his literature (he wrote the book in England). However, since Midnight’s Children is what brought Rushdie to fame, it’s possible that any effects you’d see would be after Midnight’s Children brought him fame. Meanwhile, Roy wrote her book in India. Looking into whether you can discern any influences on the author;s location relative to where their books focus would be an interesting question.
Loved the title of this post.
As for the subject, I think it’s a fascinating one.
You could do a lot with the theme of treason – examining the author’s treason and the characters’ treason. Perhpas bring in the concept of “vulgar truth” and “vulgar falsehood,” the idea that “as son as there is representation there is treason,” and the inextricable relationship between an appealing novel and an appealing author. The idea of the “reliable/unreliable narrator” also seems pertinent to your topic. From what angle are you intending to compare The God of Small Things and Midnight’s Children? Perhaps you could focus on a particular scene/theme that both novels have in common and use this as a springboard for discussing their influence in the global literary marketplace.