fastin feasting
Fasting, Feasting Style
Point of View
The novel is written in the third person limited point of view. This means that the author tells the story from an objective position, as if viewing the story 's events without benefit of any thoughts or feelings coming directly from the individual characters. The author presents the chain of events in the story and then interjects what the characters may be thinking or experiencing based on their reactions, facial expression, and tone of voice. This point of view is especially pertinent for the content of the novel, which revolves around the issue of repression, especially for the female characters. The women are not allowed authentic voices in their homes or their societies. So the author restricts what the reader can know to mimic the repression experienced by the characters.
Genre
A speedy, intense narrative switching point of view and tense as needed. There are many unheralded transitions from scene to scene and flashback (15-63) is used to excellent effect. Threads of the story are left unfinished only to be taken up again later in the novel and given a deeper significance (see Anamika 's or Aruna 's story).
General Vision or Viewpoint
Think well about this question from a couple of standpoints. It might be easy to dismiss Uma 's world as oppressive to women and to the servant underclass and to decide that life could not be a fulfilled experience in such circumstances. You might think that Uma 's life is a tragic injustice; that she is used and misused by a patriarchal family and society. You might see Arun as a narrow-minded, judgemental outsider unable to adjust to a culture different to his own and whose life is quite unfulfilled. But this might be to miss the humour and love that is invested in daily living. In India people have a warmth and a variety to their lives that is enviable.
1. Read these notes taken from different sources on the web. Do you agree with what they say? Does the point of view used by
Point of View
The novel is written in the third person limited point of view. This means that the author tells the story from an objective position, as if viewing the story 's events without benefit of any thoughts or feelings coming directly from the individual characters. The author presents the chain of events in the story and then interjects what the characters may be thinking or experiencing based on their reactions, facial expression, and tone of voice. This point of view is especially pertinent for the content of the novel, which revolves around the issue of repression, especially for the female characters. The women are not allowed authentic voices in their homes or their societies. So the author restricts what the reader can know to mimic the repression experienced by the characters.
Genre
A speedy, intense narrative switching point of view and tense as needed. There are many unheralded transitions from scene to scene and flashback (15-63) is used to excellent effect. Threads of the story are left unfinished only to be taken up again later in the novel and given a deeper significance (see Anamika 's or Aruna 's story).
General Vision or Viewpoint
Think well about this question from a couple of standpoints. It might be easy to dismiss Uma 's world as oppressive to women and to the servant underclass and to decide that life could not be a fulfilled experience in such circumstances. You might think that Uma 's life is a tragic injustice; that she is used and misused by a patriarchal family and society. You might see Arun as a narrow-minded, judgemental outsider unable to adjust to a culture different to his own and whose life is quite unfulfilled. But this might be to miss the humour and love that is invested in daily living. In India people have a warmth and a variety to their lives that is enviable.
1. Read these notes taken from different sources on the web. Do you agree with what they say? Does the point of view used by
References: 1Anita Desai, Fasting, Feasting (London: Vintage, 1999) 3. Magda Costa, “Interview with Anita Desai, Lateral (March 2001). Book review : Anita Desai, Random House India, preface Monday, September 22, 2008 09:44 GMT