"The Quest for Women Identity in Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters"

Abstract

The rise of gynofiction as a powerful subgenre of fiction in the twentieth century is a global phenomenon. Since women writers are recording their experiences and since each experience is unique in itself, as it is based in a particular cultural, political and religious miliey, the novel is an authentic representation of the social-cultural reality of that time act as a mirror. It acquires a special significance through the discovery of new dimensions of reality, the changing role and status of women and the recognition of the bond of mother- hood in the present-day Indian context, when the influence of western feminism is being felt strongly, the response to feminist discourse has been varied, from militant-symbalis anger to a  mild search for a culture-congruent female identity. The late literature produced by Indian women has sought to examine the problem of respect faced by women in a male society and in doing so, in this way. They developed the new women avoiding their femininity, but is attempting to address this issue by reclaiming the positive aspects of womanhood. It is in this context that gynocriticism appears to be helpful in understanding women themselves.