1. TIME, SPACE, AND MAGICAL REALISM: SALMAN RUSHDIE’S EAST, WEST AND THE JUXTAPOSITION OF TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL LANDSCAPES
- Author
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Corina Mariana Mitrulescu
- Subjects
cultural hybridity ,east ,west ,magical realism ,salman rushdie ,short stories ,spatial and temporal juxtaposition ,Language and Literature - Abstract
Although best known for his novels, Salman Rushdie has effectively managed to contrast magical or fantastical elements in his short stories. East, West is a collection of short stories in which Salman Rushdie skilfully weaves together narratives to control time and space in novel ways by blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the author, by the layering of historical periods or the disruption of concepts of linear time, is able to create complex temporal and spatial landscapes within his narratives. In order to depict displacement and hybridity, a variety of spatial contexts are juxtaposed, from the modern landscapes of London and New York to the busy streets of Bombay. As deeper realities about the human condition are revealed, the lines separating reality from the imagined are shifted. East, West presents Rushdie’s postcolonial perspective and his ideas of displacement and alienation through the investigation of time and space while magical realism is used as a potent technique for delving into issues relating to hybridity and cultural identity.
- Published
- 2024
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