The Evolution of the Female from Suppression to Supremacy in the Select Novels of Postmodern Retellings of the Epic- A Review of Literature

Abstract

Purpose: Man, in contrast to other creatures, is concerned with spiritual issues such as cognitive, social, artistic, and political concerns. A deep relationship has existed between faith and humanity since the dawn of time, if not before. The various religious and cultural beliefs are reflected in myths. As a result, the history of civilizations is primarily linked to and identified with mythology and religion. With the guidance of mythology and culture, people can better understand their world and the meaning of life. Thousands of years had passed since the epic narratives were penned. However, the astonishing stories continue to uncover conspicuousness in every genre of art and continue to engulf and overwhelm us even today. Epic narratives are still loved not only for their poetic grandeur but also for the highest philosophical principles they contain, which educate us about the art of living. As a result, the Mahabharata is one of the most important writings in Indian culture, and its stories, which practically everyone has grown up hearing, are still relevant today. It is a true embodiment of a useful scripture that offers the modern man with a traditional, moral, and liturgical grounding even in the contemporary society. It is not just a story of morality to be narrated from the generations, but an unending source of study. Plenty of critics have studied the text from many perspectives, still much remains to be discovered and researched. The study intends to read four new retellings of the Mahabharata novels and look afresh into the four powerful female characters, namely, Sathyavati, Gandhari, Kunti, and Draupadi. The study discovers the quest for self-crisis of the four prominent female characters by applying feministic study, power politics, and gender views. The study mainly focuses on the comparison and contrast between the concept of western and Indian feminism.

Methodology/Approach: The Literature Review is carried out by the information collected from different sources like educational websites, peer-reviewed journals, and online sources. The proposed research will be carried out relying on the data collected through research journals, doctoral thesis, scholarly articles, and websites. This qualitative approach is conducted mainly based on collecting, examining, and interpreting existing knowledge on the selected topic by focusing on the keywords "Feminism, Prominence, Relevance, Retelling, Self-Crisis, and Western". The methodology of the study is the textual analysis and comparative method.

Findings/Result: Vast reading of mythology will enhance the further areas of study. The gap between western feminism and Indian feminism helps to identify the discrimination of women in a clear way. The detailed study of the construction of gender views over the years makes it insightful about the issue. Discover that there is a connection between feminist studies with other theoretical frameworks. Modern retellings of the epic novels widen the scope and understanding of the original work. The scope and relevance of feminism in India are become more clear by comparing and contrasting the Indian and western concepts of feminism.

Paper type: Exploratory research paper.