Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-182) and index.
Contents:
Ayahs and playmates in Ice-candy-man, The hope chest, and The end of innocence -- The (im)possibility of female solidarity beyond class? : The binding vine and The space between us -- Loving class others in The god of small things and Salt and saffron -- Domestic/employee seduction in The hottest day of the year, The space between us, and The god of small things -- National or class allegories? : romance in Rich like us and The inheritance of loss -- Speaking back : the politics of cross-class dialogue.
Summary:
"The economically privileged Lenny is able to taste the forbidden delights of the adult world because of her ayah. The romantic relationship between Sai, an upper-class Gujarati girl, and Gyan, a lower-middle-class Nepali boy, crosses both class and ethnic boundaries. The marriage between Ram, an aristocratic Hindu, and Rose, a working-class Englishwoman, transgresses racial and class lines while also reinforcing patriarchal hierarchies. These relationships in Ice-Candy-Man, The Inheritance of Loss, and Rich Like Us reveal striking similarities in how gendered and classed identities are lived in India and Pakistan. Maryam Mirza examines ten novels in English by women writers from the Indian subcontinent. She explores the role of power and desire, and of emotional and physical intimacy in cross-class relations. Among others, Mirza examines well-known novels such as Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things and Kamila Shamsie's Salt and Saffron, and works that have hitherto drawn limited critical attention, such as Moni Mohsin's The End of Innocence and Brinda Charry's The Hottest Day of the Year."--Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.