Feminist Mythopoeic Approach to Kavita Kanes Karnas Wife The Outcast Queen

Name of Author : P. Aathira, Dr. S. Bhuvaneswari

Abstract: Mythological stories are timeless and universal across cultures. They are passed from one generation to another by retelling them either in rationalising or contemporising them. The feminist mythopoeic approach is an emerging critical framework that seeks to reinterpret and reconstruct myths through a feminist lens, revealing layers of meaning that have often been overlooked or suppressed in traditional narratives. In the context of Indian mythology, which is rich with female archetypes and diverse narratives, feminist mythopoeic approach opens up new vistas for interpreting events and accommodates the voices of hitherto forgotten or marginalised characters. Indian mythological narratives conventionally have always been focused against the grand sweeping background of great wars. Women, even if they are central to the narratives, have existed in peripheral spaces, with the focus of the narratives being on heroism, valor, and war. Kavita Kane, a distinguished Indian writer, retells the myths and thereby disrupts the patriarchal narrative hierarchy. This research paper endeavours to explore Kavita Kanes Karnas Wife The Outcast Queen through a mythopoeic feminist perspective. Karnas Wife The Outcasts Queen is a mythological novel that retells the story of Karna, a legendary warrior from the Mahabharata, through the eyes of his wife, Uruvi. The novel delves deep into how Kanes work subverts the marginalisation of female characters in the Mahabharata, particularly Uruvi, Karnas wife. By focusing on Uruvis narrative, Kane subverts traditional gender stereotypes and offers a more nuanced and complex representation of women in the epic, the Mahabharata. By reclaiming female agency, challenging patriarchal structures, and exploring feministic themes Kane redefines Uruvis role and offers a fresh perspective on the Mahabharata.

Keywords : Indian mythology, Feminism, Female empowerment, Female agency, Mythopoeia, Gender based oppression.

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