Navigating Across Emotional Ecologies in the Narratives of Ru Freeman, Faiqa Mansab, and Chitra B. Divakaruni

By Dr. Zeba Mahtab and Dr. Syed Wahaj Mohsin

"Navigating Across Emotional Ecologies in the Narratives of Ru Freeman, Faiqa Mansab, and Chitra B. Divakaruni" delves into the profound relationship between literature and emotions, creating a tapestry that connects readers and writers. This book explores how divers

• Language: English
• Publisher: BlueRose Publishers
• Release date: Jun 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9789364527767

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INTRODUCTION

The emotional dimension of a novel has a far-reaching impact on the readers. The relation between emotions and literature is unquestionably intimate and concrete. The universe of fiction moves on the emotional orbit. For the progress of fiction, the emotional content of the novel holds prime importance in not only engaging the readers, but for creating a work that is flawless in structure and depth. Reading is an honest act of making an effort to understand the circumstances and realities of life. When our own experience coincides with that of the writer we get attached to the text. At this point we experience a sense of deep-rooted empathy and emotional pull towards it.

Emotions add life to the portraits that are sketched by the authors to help the readers to visualise what they read. Emotions need to be studied, criticized, and investigated, so as to understand the relation between emotions and the narrative. The novelistic efforts of the writer need emotions as a springboard for the evolution of the narrative universe. The connection between emotions and actions, emotions and dialogue, emotions and perceptions, and emotions and the narrative cannot be neglected while understanding a text. The aim of the author is to convey emotions in such a way that leads to the formation of an interesting and convincing story. The verbal art of the author gives rise to the emotional content of the novel in such a way that storytelling scales new heights. The emotional ecology created by the writer changes the perception of the reader and lends new meaning to the already existing views.

The interdisciplinary nature of this research is unique because it combines a study of emotions with cognitive processes that are found in the selected novels. It can be aptly said that literary narratives are storehouses of emotional patterns that if studied meticulously can provide a vast and untraversed source of information about human life and mind. The power of literature to evoke emotions and to impact an individual’s life is indeed great. Literary works may not always be soaked in statistical analysis of data that has an impact on our lives, but their appeal and realistic value cannot be denied. Literature is multi-cultural and exceeds geographical demarcations. The relation between the cognitive processes and those of the emotions are somehow connected to each other. The emotional implication of a literary work needs to be interpreted in order to uncover the secrets of the text. The text speaks for itself and gradually reveals its narrative secrets. The emotional engagement of the reader with the text, however, depends on various factors that are a part of the narrative structure of the text. The literary journey for the reader is in true sense an emotional voyage that is undertaken by the reader. Great French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist René Descartes (1596-1650), regarded as the father of modern philosophy mastered the art of rationality. He proclaimed, I think, therefore I am, (Descartes) in Discourse on the Method. He was a thorough rationalist and believed in the power of reason above all else. The perpetual battle between reason and emotion has served as breeding ground for many literary works. Descartes focuses on the importance of reason in human life and brings to focus the frailty of emotions that do not hold authority over a rational mind that is free of any misleading emotion. However, the works of fiction at large stand against the harsh scepticism and cold rationality of Descartes, upholding the fact that the fictional universe is incomplete without emotions. The architecture of a literary text should give equal weightage to rationality and emotion.

The neurobiological perspectives do not allow the human body to be studied in isolation. The mind and the body are connected and hence the emotional outcomes are a direct result of these processes taking place within the body. Antonio R. Damasio in his work Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain contends that the power of human reasoning is not intruded by feelings and emotions that are, enmeshed in its networks… (xii). He further states that:

The strategies of human reasons probably did not develop, in either evolution or any single individual, without the guiding force of the mechanisms of biological regulation, of which emotion and feeling are notable expressions. Moreover, even after reasoning strategies become established in the formative years, their effective deployment probably depends, to a considerable extent, on a continued ability to experience feelings. (xii)

From his views it can be ascertained that certain amount of emotion is necessary for healthy rationality. The interior world of the literary characters interacts with the outer emotional world. The literary universe of the authors is hence populated by emotions, feelings, psychoanalytical processes, neurobiological patterns, and other philosophical structures. Thus, the interdisciplinary approach cannot be subjected to negative criticism by misjudging the connection between the innate and deeply embedded emotional codes and the cognitive processes in any work of literature. The aim of this study is to encourage research that focuses on both emotional research and literary research. Literature brims with emotions of myriad shades and it cannot divorce emotions from its corpus. Hence, an understanding of literary discourse needs an equally comprehensive understanding of the emotions involved in that particular narrative.

Various scholars have detailed their views on the value of emotion with relation to the narrative of a particular region. They believe that the socio-cultural and geographical conditions have an impact on the emotional side of an individual to a certain extent. The basic emotions remain the same, but their manifestation varies. The culture of a place and the kind of political scenario that exists has an effect on the emotions of the people hence the author may exhibit emotions in a text that are a result of a region’s sociological, cultural, and political climate. An author’s personal views, choices and experiences play a vital role in designing a character’s emotional universe. For example, an Egyptian female physician and novelist, Nawal El Saadawi presents in her fiction abundant discourse on neurosis among women in Egypt, in the same way an ace Indian social activist and novelist Arundhati Roy in her fiction and non-fictional works writes majorly and candidly about rigid casteism in India and the deteriorating environmental conditions. Both these writers are deeply affected by the current scenario in their countries may that be related to poor health conditions or rapidly deteriorating social fabric.

The social, political, and cultural scenario does impact the emotions exhibited in a text. The emotional relevance is a direct consequence of the realistic portrayal of the life of people in literature. The truer the portrayal, the more assertive the emotional quotient. People feel the text when they read it and see the images created by the writer if their emotions get enmeshed with those in the narrative. Sara Ahmed in The Cultural Politics of Emotion (2004) takes on an outside-in approach to understand emotions. She adheres to the socio-cultural perspective that has the capacity to shape and re-configure human emotions. Ahmed believes that the emotions are not static, the emotions move and she suggests in this regard that, the emotionality of texts is one way of describing how texts are ‘moving’, or how they generate effects (13). Another eminent scholar Martha C. Nussbaum in her acclaimed text Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions claims that, emotions are not just the fuel that powers the psychological mechanism of a reasoning creature, they are parts, highly complex and messy parts, of this creature’s reasoning itself (3). In this regard, she further contends that:

If we think of emotions as essential elements of human intelligence, rather than just as supports or props for intelligence, this gives us specially strong reasons to promote the conditions of emotional well-being in a political culture: for this view entails that without emotional development, a part of our reasoning capacity as political creatures will be missing. (3)

This makes it clear that for being a part of the political culture we must give due importance to emotions. Nussbaum discusses about the complexities of the emotional life by focusing on the point of difference that exists between emotions and appetites, emotions and moods, and emotions and motives. This study gives a clear picture of how emotions shape our lives and influence us. The arguments of Nussbaum provide ample scope of research if her views are applied while analysing a character’s behaviour and emotional responses. She also delineates with the relation between emotion and political scenario in her book Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice. She believes in the, political cultivation of emotion (3) in a literal social order. The nation cannot be radical and anti-liberal because this extremism will deprive it of its’ emotional appeal and sensitivity towards the people. Public good can take place if policies have emotional worth for the entire population of a nation. The views of Sara Ahmed and Martha Nussbaum coincide as they revert to the idea of the value of emotions for creating a politically sound atmosphere and also focus on the relation between emotions and the socio-political climate. Nussbaum in her work Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice opens the discussion with the words from Walt Whitman’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and from Rabindranath Tagore’s "Amar Shonar Bangla." With the help of these memorable words by the legendary poets she hopes to meditate on the everlasting relation between emotions and feelings of patriotism. The geographical features of the native land are glorified in many works of art and literature as widely found in the portraits of Indian people, deities and domestic life by Raja Ravi Varma, a distinguished Indian Malayali painter. A perfect blend of emotion and fiction is found in the literary corpus of an eminent and prolific Indian novelist and short-story writer Munshi Premchand. He portrayed Indian culture, rituals, lifestyle, and emotional palette with peerless intelligence. Another universally renowned poetess Sarojini Naidu also composed innumerable verses in praise of India, her native land. Thus, the emotional validity of the works of these illustrious people makes it clear that emotions have a deep connection with the artistic and creative ability of an individual. The emotional and renowned love stories familiar to the South-Asian readers such as that of Heer-Ranjha and Salim-Anarkali have a unique identity in literary narratives and also in the cinematic sphere. These tales of tragic love loaded with emotions have a deep impact on the people who read these stories and find them utterly touching. Contemporary writers like Tehmina Durrani, Faiqa Mansab and many other have been inspired to mention these amorous tales in their novels. The cross-border appeal of these stories makes it clear that emotion surpasses geographical barriers in terms of literary, cinematic, and artistic production.

The emotional ecology in the texts select for study is vast and multi-dimensional. The author’s select for this research represent different cultural, social, and political backgrounds. Ru Freeman is a Sri Lankan writer who brings to focus a powerful narrative soaked in the essence of Sri Lanka. Faiqa Mansab fetches to the reading public a panoramic novel that is both cult-defying and multi-dimensional in perspective. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni architects a graphic retelling of Sita’s story from the ancient text of Ramayana. The emotional spectrum of all the three novels is gigantic and appealing. The wide assortment of emotions gives the narrative eloquence a renewed literary merit. The emotions help to enrich the plot and the narrative. The characters convey emotions that make the readers indulge in self-reflection and keep them captivated. The concept of the emotional craft of fiction is comprehensively studied by Donald Maass in The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface (2016). The investigation of Maass lends a new meaning to the relationship between emotion and fiction. This research aims to focus on the intelligently explained concepts of Maass, so as to thoroughly delve into the emotional fabric of the select literary texts and also for comprehending the narrative structure of the novels.

Patrick Colm Hogan in his book titled Affective Narratology: The Emotional Structure of Stories (2011) delineates with the relation between story structure and emotions. He emphatically asserts that:

Human beings have a passion for plots. Stories are shared in every society, in every age, and in every social context, from intimate personal interactions to impersonal social gatherings. This passion for plots is bound up with the passion of plots, the ways in which stories manifest feelings on the part of authors and characters, as well as the passion from plots, the ways stories provoke feelings in readers or listeners. (1)

Hogan then focuses on the growing trend of research in the field of emotion as an important aspect of human thought and action. In this regard, he states that:

This attention has spanned a range of disciplines, prominently including the fields to gather together under the rubric of cognitive science―does parts of psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, anthropology, and so on. Narratology has perhaps been the area of literary study most closely connected with cognitive science. . . . However, narratological treatments of emotion have on the whole been relatively undeveloped, atleast in comparison with other aspects of narrative theory. (1)

This statement of Hogan points towards the dearth of scholarship and research in this field. His views further widen the relevance of this research that aspires to study the emotional aspect of fiction while keeping a sound grip on the narrative structure of the texts.

The text speaks to the readers in multiple ways. It employs different stylistics, genre, perspective, plot, characterization, dialogue, spatial and temporal settings for giving itself a voice. The narrative contains a pattern of events that are logically arranged for the purpose of conveying the story. The eloquence of a text is its power of storytelling and also the elements involved in this process. The emotional environment of the text gives it a profound voice. This voice within the text reaches the readers and makes the text eloquent and articulate. The emotional ecology or the emotional environment of the text connects the reader to itself at a deeper level and hence, this relationship makes the text much more expressive and eloquent.

Storytelling is a central feature of narrative eloquence. This process is intimate and brings out strong emotions to go through with the feelings. The method of narrative is multifaceted and has the potential to show the real intention of the writer. The eloquence gives the text a taste of understanding. Readers will understand how to process the information and consider the perspective of the writer to connect themselves with the text. It provides the spatial and temporal details to the story. The writer can write persuasively in a literary form, but without eloquence, the emotional bond will not be formed. Eloquence is the link between art and its audience. Eloquence is defined as the art or practise of speaking persuasively, forcefully, and fluently. It comes in two forms. Its adjective form is eloquent, and its adverb form is eloquently. Both forms are equally expressive. Eloquence is regarded as a valuable asset in both spoken and written languages. The art of eloquent language is a persuasive technique known as rhetoric.

Eloquence and rhetoric are different from each other by means of their definition and purpose. Their persuasiveness varies from person to person. Eloquence may be used as rhetoric without losing its originality. It simply appreciates the possibilities of the chosen language. It employs a variety of methods or techniques, including word choice, sentence structure, repetition, and the production of logical ideas, as distinct elements. According to Ben Johnson, an English critique in Timber, or Discoveries, talking and eloquence are not the same. To speak and to speak well are two things (Johnson). According to Dennis Donoghue, there is no aim without rhetorical eloquence. It is merely a play of words and expression. It should be appreciated and used as the primary concern of the narrative. The quality of the writing emerges in the eloquence, style, form, fiction, imagination, beauty, and aesthetics of the structured sentence accordingly. He recognised that these are the true modes of interest for valuing any narrative. Every profession has its own articulation purpose; they have different ways of speaking, different values, and different pragmatic purposes to express. One of the prominent critics, Kenneth Burke, explains with eloquence the plaster added to the framework to enhance its stability and qualities. The purpose of eloquence is to convert our lives into verbal equivalents. The categorical appeal of literature resides in verbalization. Authors like John Donne’s Essays in Divinity, Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism, John Milton’s Apology for Smectymnuus, Marshall McLuhan’s The Mechanical Bride, and Oliver Goldsmith’s Of Eloquence explained that true eloquence is the serious love for truth.

Eloquence is an outcome of expression and communication in personal and public settings without any particular time, place, people, or language. Eloquence is universal for every text, and narrative eloquence can uncover feelings, behaviours, and messages that are not directly expressed. Narrative styles provide linguistic data to shed light on various aspects of social and traditional phenomena. In literary narration, peel out the different layers of culture with the subject of writing. It also contains hidden motivations that the writers do not perceive in order to connect the text with readers. The background study of the social and cultural context of the delivered subject is established through narrative eloquence. Authors are considered storytellers who explain their thought process while narrating. It is the way to tell stories from person to person and generation to generation. In other words, narrative thinking provides the vocabulary for storytelling, which provides deep-rooted sense and meaning to the reader.

Eloquence in the writing makes an argument easy to read. Eloquence is necessary for leading the writing, teaching, and managing the arguments. It is a practise of linguistics that accepts the complexities of concepts. The idea of eloquence is essential for every educational endeavour in which ideas are associated with writing, and simultaneously, writing assists learning. Eloquence is described in literature with fancy words that contain the ability to explain the meaning without filter. It takes a close study to identify the message of the text. Moreover, it builds on the grim realisation that the writer wants to deliver his or her spatial or temporal state of mind.

The idea of eloquence was invented by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who examined the concept of eloquence with clarity. He believes that it was not the fault of the listener that a weak argument could triumph in public debate without any logical point, but rather that speech does not deliver such emotions to make an impact. When the wrong emotions are stimulated, we must have the potential for eloquence to implicitly acknowledge the need for argument. It is better to deliver the true essence through a way of speaking that can be equally emotional and sophisticated in the process. He was equally concerned about the intentions behind the process of touching emotions without getting trapped in facts. We must look after the audience; they must be free of any stress, or authority in order to connect with the audience. But that state is problematic for both sides. Both situations are slightly different from each other, so the important event for the writer becomes ordinary for the audience. Aristotle focused on the art of eloquence, which gave birth to the philosophical tradition of studying the effective ways to talk in order.

The novel Jude the Obscure, about stone mason Jude Fawley, was written by English writer Thomas Hardy in 1984. He wanted to study at the university. Hardy describes his ambition from childhood to manhood. Every single detail of the character’s life is developing the narrative eloquence the clothes he wears, his sad evening walk, the changing colour of the sky, and the rejection of his dream. Hardy gives us the precise details of his life to build up the story in the mind of the reader. He contends that:

The purpose of a chronicler of moods and deeds does not require him to express his personal views upon the grave controversy above given. That the twain were happy—between their times of sadness—was indubitable. And when the unexpected apparition of Jude’s child in the house had shown itself to be no such disturbing event as it had looked, but one that brought into their lives a new and tender interest of an ennobling and unselfish kind, it rather helped than injured their happiness. (Hardy 362)

As he vocalises the shattered dream, the author plays the game of emotions, developing ideas of attachment and eloquent feelings that arouse sympathy in the reader’s mind and help them connect with themselves within the text. The interaction, which contains fear, envy, and suspicion, is overpowered by narrative eloquence. Sympathy is moved more by individual cases than by abstract issues. Eloquence is a solution to the basic problems of life. To understand the message, the reader must recognise mental erraticism. It is not enough to be accurate, concise, and logical. We need to fill the reader’s minds with emotions to reach the saturation point.

Narrative eloquence is subjective. We define eloquent writing as being fluent, elegant, persuasive, or simply good at conveying the true essence of the text’s nature. Narrative eloquence will never survive with a robotic voice in writing; superlatives and exaggeration of meaning make it more complicated for readers. The text must be convincing in the language in which eloquence is relying on. The writer must simplify it with the needed enhancement. Writing is a key to communication. The narration of a story or part of another’s life is not just about words, but about the meaning developed by them. It is a process of communication, not a task to complete. Writers use a narrative style to portray characters and construct the story from their point of view. In its constructive form, it generates a dual interpretation by detailing their own ideas of living, methods, and modes of conduct. Eloquent writers include Martin Luther King, William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, and Virginia Woolf. The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth explains classical rhetoric, figures, and their uses. He defends Shakespeare’s work through the development of language.

The first chapter titled "The Dialect of Resistance in A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman" delves into the study of resistance. According to the democratic experiment, resistance is regarded as protest-writing. It involves influencing public opinion, political and social issues, defending the weak, honouring the rebels, and defining the women’s suffrage movement to the war authors. The opposition has always been led by the writers. A Disobedient Girl belongs to the genre of domestic fiction, but is a convincing investigation of personal yearning set against the unpredictable backdrop of class and prejudice. The narrative eloquence describes the skills of the writer in portraying the characters that have a shared history, but are split by different fates. The novel is an account of love and defeat, it is also a tale about the will to survive by means of resistance and the unbelievable ability of the human courage to exceed the merciless wave of tragedy. A Disobedient Girl is a convincing investigation of personal yearning set against the unpredictable backdrop of class and prejudice. The characters move towards their future, integrated by a shared history but split by different fates. A brave and deeply moving account that spans three decades