English Studies Journal | Portraying the Fantastic in Literary Fiction: Divakaruni’s The Conch Bearer Trilogy

The IUP Journal of English Studies :

Portraying the Fantastic in Literary Fiction: Divakaruni’s The Conch Bearer Trilogy

Article Details

Pub. Date	:	Jun, 2014
Product Name	:	The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type	:	Article
Product Code	:	IJES21406
Author Name	:	P V L Sailaja, N Ramakrishna and C R S Sarma
Availability	:	YES
Subject/Domain	:	English Studies
Download Format	:	PDF Format
No. of Pages	:	8

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Abstract

The sway of magic and occult is a recurring theme in many novels of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This paper analyzes the novels The Conch Bearer (2003), The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming (2005) and Shadowland (2009) which are parts of The Conch Bearer trilogy as they reflect this particular theme. Magic has always been an integral part of different genres like epics, fairytales, adventure stories handed over orally from generation to generation, as well as drama and poetry. The present paper brings out how Divakaruni depicts the three-dimensional nature of reality and human experience and makes her readers experience a fantastic universe which travels across different time and space zones through The Conch Bearer trilogy.

Description

This paper analyzes the portrayal of the fantastic in literary fiction based on a study of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Conch Bearer series. In this trilogy, she delves deep into the world of magic, fantasy, adventure, and myth. Divakaruni is a prolific and acclaimed writer who has popular novels like Mistress of Spices (1997), Sister of My Heart (1999), The Conch Bearer, a trilogy (2003-2009), and The Palace of Illusions (2008) to her credit.

The plot of the three novels, The Conch Bearer (2003), The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming (2005), and Shadowland (2009), revolves around a conch, a magical object with immense powers to shape, redefine, control, or even destroy the whole world. The conch becomes the guiding force for a secret brotherhood which was established by a group of men possessing a number of occult powers, especially the power of healing, in the secret mountain folds of the Himalayas, in the pristine Silver Valley.

Keywords

English Studies Journal, Portraying, Fantastic, Shadowland, Hogwarts School, Witchcraft, Wizardry, Literary Fiction, Divakaruni, Conch Bearer Trilogy, The Conch Bearer, The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming, .