Recapturing the Picture of the Past: A Study of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children

Recapturing the Picture of the Past: A Study of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children

Authors

  • Kruti J. Desai 9510567791

Keywords:

History, Identity, Memory, Culture, Partition, Magical realism, Nation

Abstract

This research paper examines Salman Rushdie's Midnight’s Children as a seminal work that masterfully intertwines personal and national histories, utilizing diverse narrative techniques to revisit and reimagine India's past. The study explores how Rushdie's novel, through its protagonist Saleem Sinai, presents a fragmented yet profound reflection on the nation's journey from colonial rule to post-independence challenges. It delves into the narrative's backdrop of the 1947 Partition and its lasting impact, highlighting Rushdie's use of magical realism to blend the ordinary with the extraordinary. This blending creates a complex, symbolic portrayal of India's identity and history. The paper also discusses the subjective nature of historical interpretation as portrayed in the novel, emphasizing memory's role in reconstructing the past. By critically analyzing Midnight’s Children, this study underscores the novel's significance in postcolonial literature and its power to reshape our understanding of history through storytelling.

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Author Biography

Kruti J. Desai, 9510567791

Applied Science & Humanities Department, 

Sarvajanik College of Engineering & Technology, Surat-Gujarat

References

Chatterjee, Partha. "History and the Nationalization of Hinduism." Social Research. 59.1. 1992.

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Kortenaar, Neil Ten. "Midnight’s Children and the Allegory of History." Rushdie's Midnight’s Children: A Book of Readings. Ed. Meenakshi Mukherjee. Pencraft International, 1999.

Pradhan, Prakash Chandra. "Imagining India in Salman Rushdie's Midnight’s Children: An Interpretation in Postcolonial Perspective." The Atlantic Critical Review. 9.1. 2010.

Reger, Michael. "Rewriting History and Identity: The Reinvention of Myth, Epic, and Allegory in Salman Rushdie's Midnight’s Children." Critical Essays on Salman Rushdie. Ed. M. Keith Booker. G.K. Hall & Co, 1999.

Rushdie, Salman. Midnight’s Children. Picador, 1982.

---. Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991. Random House, 2012.

Mitra, Reena. Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children. Atlantic, 2006.

Pathak, R.S. "History and Individual in the Novels of Rushdie." Three Contemporary Novelists: Khushwant Singh, Chaman Nahal, Salman Rushdie. Ed. R.K. Dhawan. Classical Publishing, 1986.

Additional Files

Published

10-04-2024

How to Cite

Kruti J. Desai. (2024). Recapturing the Picture of the Past: A Study of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children. Vidhyayana - An International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed E-Journal - ISSN 2454-8596, 9(5). Retrieved from https://vidhyayanaejournal.org/journal/article/view/1877
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