Novel “The Palace of Illusions” (2008) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni as an Example of Cross-cultural Hybridization

Ksenya Maretina
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Abstract

In the novel The Palace of Illusions (2008) by the popular Indian-American writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the ancient Indian epic Mahābhārata is narrated from the point of view of its main heroine Draupadi. Thus, the author gives a new reading and interpretation to the text, which is an extremely important and revered part of the Indian cultural heritage. The image of Draupadi in the novel does not correspond to the traditional figure of the epic heroine. Her motives and character are “modernized” and are made easy to connect for a contemporary and reader; her aspirations and her voice belong to a woman of the present day. At the same time, it can be found that on the ideological level the novel follows quite closely the philosophical concepts of the ancient Indian epic. To come to this conclusion, in my study the main ideas of the novel were compared with the philosophical provisions present in the Bhagavadgītā, that is part of the sixth book of the epic and is perceived today as the doctrinal, philosophical and moral core of the Mahābhārata. In the novel by Ch. B. Divakaruni, the stories of mythical past are reconstructed, reinterpreted from the standpoint of modernity, and used to find answers to questions that are relevant to us today (about an individual quest for purpose, love and happiness, place in the world, etc.). At the same time, The Palace of Illusions combines elements of modern Western and traditional Indian worldviews. Thus, the novel is addressed both to orthodox traditionalists and to representatives of the diaspora, who are losing touch with their cultural heritage. It can be viewed as an interesting example of cultural, as well as cross-cultural hybridization.
奇特拉·班纳吉·迪瓦卡鲁尼的小说《幻宫》(2008)是跨文化杂交的一个例子
在印度裔美国作家吉特拉·班纳吉·迪瓦卡鲁尼的小说《幻宫》(2008)中,古印度史诗Mahābhārata是从女主角德拉帕迪的角度叙述的。因此,作者对文本进行了新的阅读和解释,这是印度文化遗产中极其重要和受人尊敬的一部分。小说中德拉帕迪的形象并不符合传统的史诗女主人公形象。她的动机和性格是“现代化的”,很容易让当代人和读者联系起来;她的抱负和声音属于当代女性。同时,我们可以发现,在思想层面上,小说与古印度史诗的哲学观念有着密切的联系。为了得出这个结论,在我的研究中,将小说的主要思想与《博伽梵歌》中的哲学规定进行了比较,《博伽梵歌》是史诗的第六本书的一部分,今天被认为是Mahābhārata的教义、哲学和道德核心。在Ch. B. Divakaruni的小说中,神话般的过去的故事被重建,从现代性的角度重新解释,并用于寻找与我们今天相关的问题的答案(关于个人对目的,爱和幸福,在世界上的位置等的追求)。同时,《幻宫》结合了现代西方和传统印度世界观的元素。因此,这部小说既针对正统的传统主义者,也针对散居海外的代表,他们正在与自己的文化遗产失去联系。它可以被看作是文化和跨文化杂交的一个有趣的例子。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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