An Existential Odyssey: A Study of Women Characters in Manju Kapur’s Novels

This book analyses the predicament of women characters in the novels of Manju Kapur from an existentialist’s perspective. In this attempt, the author has examined existentialist themes such as freedom, choice, guilt, alienation anxiety and despair. In this study, an attempt has been made to explain the key philosophical ideas of some of the important existential philosophers like Sartre, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Marcel and Camus. The main ideas of these philosophers find an expression in the novels of Manju Kapur. Like the existentialist, Kapur sees man/woman as a free agent who is free to choose his/her action but this freedom is tied with responsibility.

The existentialists highlight man’s (no gender bias implied here) existence, his freedom, choice and responsibility in every walk of life. They underlined the facticity’s of life such as anxiety, despair, freedom, and choice. Thy encouraged men/women to face the truth of their lives to realize their individualities. According to the existentialist thinkers, the problems of the modern society can be addressed by the decisions, and choices that man/woman makes as a free and responsible individual.

Kapur’s novels mark an important phase in the growth of existential fiction in India. She is essentially an existentialist writer and deals with existential themes. She explores the human predicament and motives responsible for woman’s action. Existential themes such as freedom, choice, guilt, alienation, anxiety, and despair are highlighted in her novels. All her protagonists start their journey with the freedom of choice. They search for new meaning in this quest for self-discovery.

This book deals with the works of Manju Kapur from an existentialist perspective. This work is limited to five novels of Kapur, namely, Difficult Daughters, A Married Woman, Home, Immigrant and Custody. The book titled “The Existentialist Predicament of Women Characters in Manju Kapur’s Novels – A Critical Study” critically analyses existentialist issues such as freedom of choice, bad faith, guilt, alienation, anxiety and despair in the novels of Kapur. It is an attempt to study the existentialist predicament of women characters in the novels of Kapur.

This book consists of six chapters. In the introductory chapter, the significance of Kapur among Indian women novelists has been highlighted. Chapter two titled “Existentialism: A Philosophical – Literary Perspective” has presented the origin and development of the philosophy of existentialism. The chapter has discussed key philosophical concepts related to existentialism and has also mapped the connection between existentialism and literature.

Chapter three titled “Kapur’s Women Characters’ Freedom of Choice and Bad Faith” focuses on the freedom of choice and Bad faith in the novels of Kapur. Chapter four titled “Kapur’s Women Characters’ Guilt and Alienation” concentrates on the themes of guilt and alienation with special reference to the novels of Kapur. Chapter five, titled “Kapur’s Women Characters’ Anxiety and Despair, deals with anxiety and despair in the novels of Kapur. The final chapter is in the form of summing up of the major findings of the study.