Feminism in Indo-English fiction
...s men. Feminism as such has to attempt a new definition of women's role in the wider frame. The problem is the problem of the definition. What is the definition that we have we have in mind while dealing with feminism and recent fiction in English. So far as the legal terminology is concerned, the term "man" includes the term "woman". What exactly do we mean by feminism? Does it merely mean female-ism or femaleness, the qualities which all women possess not only human females but maybe the other females in the non-human world? Or does feminism mean a sense of personal courage. Or, is feminism a kind of social revolt against convention, like living outside marriage. Even then we have had examples either. As we have the examples of Elizabeth Barret Browning and of George Eliot who in the nineteenth century lived outside of marriage. So what do we mean by feminism? I have a definition to offer but first I propose to problematize the issue. While talking of feministic tensions, probably we are talking of the tensions of life. The feministic tensions are tensions of living whether one is man or woman. So what do we mean by feminism? So far feminism has not been defined in precise terms. What has been offered is a prescription of feminism. For instance, if we take into account Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex" or some of the other French writers, they are very much concerned about the physical suppression of women. Therefore, according to the French models of feminism, it would imply the greater sexual expression. If we take into account British models, all feminists slowly become respectable, or reclaimed into the male world order. If we consider American models, they are more outspoken. Therefore, there is the problem of definition. Before coming to my definition of feminism, I cannot but refer to women writers who have explored the problem- Virginia Woolf in "A Room of One's Own", Simone de Beauvoir in "The Second Sex", Kate Millet's "Sexual politics" and other books. And then we have the male reply. The question that arises now is whether feminism is some kind of chauvinist aggressive way of living, like dressing up like a man. There is a very fine book by Norman Mailer called "The Prisoner of Sex" which is reply to this kind of chauvinistic expression of feminism. I define feminism as a mode of existence in which woman is free of the dependence syndrome. There is the dependence syndrome: whether it is the husband or the father or the community or whether it is the religious group, ethnic group. When women free themselves of the dependence syndrome and lead a normal life, my idea of feminism materializes. Alice Jardine offers a definition of feminism. "Feminism," she writes, is of generally understood as "a movement from the point of view of, by, and for women". Now I examine how well feminism has been presented within Indo-English Fiction. I am sorry to say our older writers whom we may call the first generation of Indian English Writings- R.K. Narayan, Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand missed out on great opportunity. They had freedom struggle and so many women in it to write about. They have bypassed our struggle that is a matter of surprise to some of us. So the historic role played by Indian women in their own capacity definitely provides an alternative replacement model. This rich source has been completely left out. Let me turn to some of the important names in Indo-English Fiction both male and female who have demonstrated their anxiety, angst, and ...