Analysing the feminine self: a postfeminist study of women’s quest for identity in the select novels of Jaishree Misra and Anita Nair

Abstract

Feminism in literature makes an effort to reconsider the place of women in literary texts and the literary contributions made by women. Modern feminism emphasises the diversity of women's experiences, values individuality, and reinterprets what it means to be a feminist in a way a post-modern world requires; postfeminism can be seen as a continuation of feminism which fosters subjectivity, rethinks concepts like femininity, choice, empowerment and emphasises the diversity of women's experiences. The present study analyses Jaishree Misra's and Anita Nair's writings in the context of postfeminism. The concept of "being oneself" and "pleasing oneself" form fundamental concepts in a postfeminist discourse that constitute the basic parameters in analysing female characters. Women Writers selected for the study seem to have embraced postfeminism as a powerful idea that gives them a range of experiences and opportunities for writing from many points of view. Postfeminism exerts its influence in cinema, media, and popular culture, and its effects are felt in everyday social interactions. It points to a future society where gender distinctions are eliminated, and people are valued more as individuals.