IDENTITY FORMATION AND RESISTANCE: A STUDY OF BILDUNGSROMAN TROPE IN THE SELECT INDIAN SCIENCE FICTION

Abstract

Bildungsroman is a literary genre focused on the development of individual identity, particularly emphasising the moral and psychological growth of the protagonist within a narrative framework. In recent decades, there has been an increase in young adult science fiction narratives that not only incorporate the bildungsroman trope of identity formation but also offer critiques of political autocracy, dictatorship, surveillance, and colonialism. These narratives delve into the complexities of self and identity by placing characters in environments characterised by oppressive control, thereby highlighting the importance and potential of adolescence in the process of identity formation. While considerable academic research has addressed the theme of identity in Western young adult science fiction, Indian science fiction remains largely overlooked in this regard, representing a notable gap in the field. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive academic inquiry at the intersection of bildungsroman and Indian science fiction, which this study aims to address. The thesis conducts a structural and textual analysis of the Indian science fiction narratives, concentrating on the motif of identity formation. The narratives under consideration include Clone (2018) by Priya Sarukkai Chabria, Escape (2008) and The Island of Lost Girls (2015) by Manjula Padmanabhan, and Meru (2023) by S. B. Divya. The thesis encompasses a wide variety of perspectives in its different chapters, capturing the essence of bildungsroman in varied forms and contextual backgrounds in science fiction. Each main chapter is chiefly dedicated to an individual author’s texts, scrutinising a particular thematic aspect of the bildung process.