Reenchantment and Resistance: Study of Myths in U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Samskara

Abstract

This paper studies the concept of myth closely, in order to understand their function in contemporary Indian literature. The use of myths in U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Samskara is discussed using close reading and textual analysis. The mythic elements recognised in its plot, characterisations, imageries, language used, etc. are understood in the context of coloniality/modernity in post-Independence India. This turn to myth however is not simply a blind repetition of the traditional past. There is a need to critically evaluate tradition as well as modernity in these texts. By using the mythic framework critically, contemporary Indian novels like Samskara resist against the dominance of modernity/coloniality.