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The Figure of
the Woman in Three Traditional Narrative Genres in Purulia
Roma Chatterji
The textual analysis of feminine figures have long been part of
Scholarly tradition. In this paper I take a somewhat eccentric
position vis-a-vis this tradition by foregrounding the narrative
genres within which these figures occur. I compare examples from
three narrative genres, a 'made-up' story, a sacred story and a
riddle and show how a particular representation of feminine
voice emerges within them. This is the voice of interrogation
that has the capacity to disrupt received structures of
patriarchy. However given the formal textual constraints imposed
by each of these genres in their different ways, the manner in
which this voice is heard and the way in which the figure of the
woman is represented varies considerably from genre to genre.
Keywords: Narratives, Feminine, Woman, Purulia. |
