Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’
1 Introduction
This paper will try to show how Salman Rushdie uses narrative technique, genre and the concept of history in a very new way in Midnight’s Children in order to place his story outside the euro-centric tradition of literature, narrative and history. These traditions, appearing in the colonial period, have constructed a notion of universalism in literature where the ‘classics’ of the western canon have set the order of the day (Ashcroft 91-92). Additionally, history has been written with Europe as the subject of all interpretations of history (be they Whig, Tory, Marxist, etc.), thus constructing a master narrative which Chakrabarty calls ‘the history of Europe’, where even the histories of the third world countries are written with Europe as subject (Chakrabarty 383). The theory of history presented in Midnight’s Children (elaborated on in section 4) attempts not to replace the centre in this traditional binary of centre and margin, but rather to deconstruct this binary in order to gain access to history and literature[1].
Salman Rushdie tries to break the binary by using a very different kind of narrative, a mixture of an oral narrative style with all the colloquialisms typical of that style, on the one hand, and a very formal style typical of written language on the other. In addition to this other ‘Englishes’ like Pidgin English are used. These elements serve to place the novel outside the Western tradition, even though it uses a language, English, and a format, the novel, which are central to the Western literary canon. I will analyse the style and genre of the novel to show how Rushdie accomplishes all this. Next I will try to show that the n...
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[1] For details see Ashcroft 135-136.
[2] The definition of Magic Realism is based on a seminar hand-out, a lecture and Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of literary Terms. USA: Harcourt, 1999.
Critics have already begun a heated debate over the success of the book that has addressed both its strengths and weaknesses. The debate may rage for a few years but it will eventually fizzle out as the success of the novel sustains. The characters, plot, emotional appeal, and easily relatable situations are too strong for this book to crumble. The internal characteristics have provided a strong base to withstand the petty attacks on underdeveloped metaphors and transparent descriptions. The novel does not need confrontations with the Middle East to remain a staple in modern reading, it can hold its own based on its life lessons that anyone can use.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton.
There are many stories that follow Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, and tells the tale of a Heroic character. These fables introduces us to heroes that begin their journey in an ordinary place, then receive a call to enter an unknown world full of bizarre powers and peculiar events. These heroes often display great traits, such as bravery or intelligence, that defines their character. One of these heroic's tales is Haroun and the Sea of Stories, telling the adventures of a young man named Haroun. This essay will prove that Haroun from Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie is a hero, because he possess heroic qualities. Haroun shows his heroic qualities by overcoming obstacles, helping his friends, and having good intentions.
When discussing the controversial authors of Indian literature, one name should come to mind before any other. Salman Rushdie, who is best known for writing the book “Midnights Children.” The first two chapters of “Midnights Children” are known as “The Perforated Sheet”. In “The Perforated Sheet” Rushdie utilizes magic realism as a literary device to link significant events and their effects on the lives of Saleem’s family to a changing India. In fact, it is in the beginning of the story that the reader is first exposed to Rushdie’s use of magic realism when being introduced to Saleem. “On the stroke of midnight/clocks joined palms” and “the instant of India’s arrival at independence. I tumbled forth into the world”(1711). Rushdie’s description of the clocks “joining palms” and explanation of India’s newfound independence is meant to make the reader understand the significance of Saleem’s birth. The supernatural action of the clocks joining palms is meant to instill wonder, while independence accentuates the significance of the beginning of a new era. Rushdie also utilizes magic realism as an unnatural narrative several times within the story to show the cultural significance of events that take place in the story in an abnormal way.
The Meaning of Vertical and Horizontal Integration Horizontal integration is where an organisation owns two or more companies, on the same level of the buying chain. An example of this is the First Choice Group; they own First Choice Travel Agency and First Choice Hypermarket, both of which are on the same level of the buying chain. The advantage of horizontal integration is that it can increase the company’s market share. Another good example of this type of integration is when EasyJet purchased the airline Go from British Airways. Now EasyJet and Go both operate under the company name of EasyJet.
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To read such a powerful text in merely terms of religious blasphemy is an injustice to literature. Rushdie has elucidated how Fiction, though it may take ideas and roots from canons like religion, it spirals off with the novelists’ imagination, and what is produced must not be condemned, but viewed in terms of the creativity of the novelist. In an age of freedom of speech and a modern, liberalized society, the novelist should not be fettered by bounds of religion. For literature and science fill the pools that religion leaves unfilled. Pitiably, Rushdie’s Verses will be remembered more for the controversy and uproar it caused, than the pure genius of magical realism that this work is. However, this very reaction exemplifies the magnamity of the novel, and the sheer genius of the notoriously evasive Salman Rushdie.
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Hamid’s fiction deals with varied issues: from infidelity to drug trade in the subcontinent and, in the light of contemporary developments, about Islamic identity in a globalised world. His first novel, Moth Smoke (2000) won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award in 2000. His other novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Decibel Award and the South Bank Award for Literature. This book serves as a testament to his elegant style as he deftly captures the straining relationship between America and Pakistan.
work addresses many of the issues associated with colonialism. One such issue is the oppressive
When Rape of Sita was first published it was immediately attacked because of the title linking the Hindu goddess Sita, who symbolized chastity, to the word “rape.” Even though Collen’s novel does focus around political struggles, literature is not politics. However, literature is able to be a form of social action. What is literature is it doesn’t post those crucial questions that get humans thinking? Collen believes in reflecting on concrete situations and posing moral dilemmas in literature. For her it is a way to share experiences towards the “other” (Williams 201). The Rape of Sita is a part of a postmodern turn to ethics. Where it uses language to make political comments suggesting a new perspective on history. Williams examines how The Rape of Sita calls for that change in attitudes through its narrative structure and symbolism. Which in turns allows for the story of rape to be told differently.
Booker, M. Keith. “A Practical Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism.” White Plains: Longman Publishers USA, 1996. Print.
Rushdie eventually began his literary career in 1975 when he made his debut with Grimus, a sort of fantastical science fiction novel based on the twelfth century Sufi poem “The Conference of Birds”. Grimus however received little fame and Rushdie truly broke into the literary world with his second novel Midnight’s Children, in 1981, which won him the Booker prize and international fame. This novel began his controversial persona as well. The novel is a comic allegory of Indian history that revolves around the life of its narrator, Saleem Sinai, and the one thousand children born after India’s Declaration of Independence.
In his short story, “The Prophet’s Hair,” Salman Rushdie make use of magic realism, symbolization and situational irony to comment on class, religion, and the fragility of human life. The story is brimming with ironic outcomes that add to the lighthearted and slightly fantastic tone. Rushdie’s use of the genre magic realism capitalizes on the absurdity of each situation but makes the events relevant to readers’ lives. In addition, the irony in the story serves as a way to further deepen Rushdie’s commentary on class and religion. Finally, his use of symbolization focuses on the concept of glass, and just how easily it can be broken.