ABSTRACT
REPRESENTATION OF FOOD: A STUDY OF MARGARET ATWOOD’S THE EDIBLE WOMAN AND
ANITA DESAI’S FASTING, FEASTING
The novels of Margaret Atwood and Anita Desai have a profound impact on the readers. The main aspect of their writing is to present/depict the condition of women in the patriarchal society. However Atwood’s The Edible Woman and Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting have innumerable images of food. In Atwood’s case food becomes the source of power politics. This project aims to highlight how these writers have represented food and how it plays a major role in the life of an individual. The purpose of this dissertation is to expose how these two writers have given different meaning in their novels- The Edible Woman and Fasting, Feasting.
CHAPTER I: The first chapter, Introduction gives a general outline of the literatures of India and Canada and women’s writing in 1960s. It gives a brief idea of cultural studies, and reflects on the use of food at different levels such as biological, sociological, psychological etc.
CHAPTER II: The second chapter focuses on Margaret Atwood’s novel The Edible Woman. The chapter starts with a brief summary of the novel. It goes to review how food is used in the novel. It tries to explain how the protagonist in the novel reveals herself as a consumable and a consumed entity.
CHAPTER III: The third chapter begins with a brief summary of Anita Desai’s novel Fasting, Feasting. It presents the utilization of food in the novel. Then it focuses on the interconnection of food and woman in the novel. The depiction of two different cultures of India and America is presented in the later half of the chapter.
CHAPTER IV: Conclusion highlights the important points of the previous chapter and sums up the analysis presented much of the novels The Edible Woman and Fasting, Feasting by Margaret Atwood and Anita Desai, respectively.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH:
CANADIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH:
CHAPTER II REPRESENTATION OF FOOD IN MARGARET ATWOOD’S THE EDIBLE WOMAN
CHAPTER III REPRESENTATION OF FOOD IN ANITA DESAI’S FASTING, FEASTING
CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION
Objectives and Core Topics
This dissertation examines the symbolic and political representation of food in Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman and Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting, focusing on how both authors use food to explore gender dynamics, patriarchal power, and the formation of female identity.
- Cultural significance and symbolism of food in literature
- Power politics and consumerism within patriarchal societies
- Comparison of female consciousness in Indian and Western literary contexts
- The relationship between the consumer and the consumed in modern identity crises
Excerpt from the Book
REPRESENTATION OF FOOD IN MARGARET ATWOOD’S THE EDIBLE WOMAN
In an introduction to The Edible Woman, Alan Dawe has given as follows:
The Edible Woman had been shaped and unified by a central image, the metaphor of eating that runs through the entire novel, from title page to final. Individual readers can discover for themselves the various forms in which food imagery appears; all the writer of a brief introduction need do is suggest some of the ways in which author has made the central metaphor… A second aspect of the sustained metaphor is found most of the major occasions of the novel take place at mealtimes of one kind or another. The story begins with a breakfast and ends with Tea… In between these two occasions there are dinners, lunches, coffee breaks, meetings for drinks and an office party. In addition, both Marian and Ainsley have jobs related to food or (chewing).
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION: This chapter outlines the literary landscapes of India and Canada in the 1960s and explores the multifaceted role of food in cultural, biological, and sociological studies.
CHAPTER II REPRESENTATION OF FOOD IN MARGARET ATWOOD’S THE EDIBLE WOMAN: This chapter analyzes how food serves as a central metaphor in Atwood’s novel, illustrating the protagonist's struggle with identity and the commodification of women's bodies.
CHAPTER III REPRESENTATION OF FOOD IN ANITA DESAI’S FASTING, FEASTING: This chapter focuses on the utilization of food in Desai’s work as a tool for suppression and cultural contrast between the Indian and American households.
CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the findings regarding food as a metaphor for power and powerlessness, confirming its pivotal role in the character development and social critiques of both analyzed novels.
Keywords
Food symbolism, Patriarchal society, Gender dynamics, Identity, Consumerism, Margaret Atwood, Anita Desai, The Edible Woman, Fasting Feasting, Power structures, Female subjectivity, Cultural studies, Indian English Literature, Canadian Literature, Anorexia Nervosa
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
This dissertation investigates the multifaceted representation of food as a literary device and social metaphor in the works of Margaret Atwood and Anita Desai.
Which specific themes are prioritized?
The study prioritizes themes such as gender inequality, the politics of power in domestic and social settings, female identity formation, and the commodification of women.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to expose how Atwood and Desai utilize food imagery to provide different meanings and critique the status of women in patriarchal structures.
Which scientific method is utilized?
The research employs a comparative literary analysis, examining narrative techniques, characterization, and the sociocultural backgrounds of the selected novels.
What does the main body cover?
The main body covers a historical overview of Indian and Canadian literature, followed by detailed textual analyses of how food reflects identity crises and power imbalances in the two chosen novels.
Which keywords define this study?
Key terms include food symbolism, patriarchal society, identity, gender politics, consumerism, and female subjectivity.
How does the author analyze the "cake-woman" in The Edible Woman?
The author interprets the cake-woman as a symbolic act of resistance, where the protagonist reclaims her power by subverting her own image as a "consumable" entity.
What distinction is made between "fasting" and "feasting" in Anita Desai's novel?
The terms represent the cultural divide: "Fasting" refers to the scarcity and religious asceticism of the Indian experience, while "Feasting" symbolizes the excess and abundance of the American environment.
- Quote paper
- Sathish Kumar Vellamuthu (Author), 2006, Representation of Food: A Study of Margaret Atwood's "The Edible Woman" and Anita Desai's "Fasting, Feasting", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/211265
