In his essay “Imaginary
Homelands”, Salman Rushdie raises the point that duality in an author’s
identity provides a highly unique point of view within their work. Rushide describes his experience
writing his novel Midnight’s Children
on the basis of his experience relocating to Britain from India. In regards to the standpoint he
has on being an author with a dual sense of identity from both cultures he
says: “Our identity is at once plural and partial. Sometimes we feel that we straddle two cultures; at other
times, that we fall between two stools.
But however ambiguous and shifting this ground may be, it is not an
infertile territory for a writer to occupy if literature is in part the
business of finding new angles at which to enter reality, then once again our
distance, our long geographical perspective may provide us with such an
angles.” I personally agree with Rushdie’s point here and believe that it holds
true not only for those of dual geographical or national identity, but for
those with intersecting identities involving race and gender as well. Authors who have personally experienced
and grappling with several components that make up their identity are at an
advantage of having a unique position.
Although it may pose challenges within their writing, (for example
Rushdie contemplates writing in English over his native language) it also
enables them to tell a story that is nonetheless distinct and valuable. For example, being a man of color
within a society that functions on white privilege and is primarily patriarchal
has a different experience to tell than a woman of color that lives in the same
society that imposes those constraints.
Though it may be difficult for the author, the “territory” that he/she
occupies is still valuable and is worth being read and listened to. Literature has the ability to provide a
space for these stories to add richness to communicating the human experience
and I think Rushdie’s statement within his essay upholds this idea.
I think you hit the nail on the head with your analysis of Rushdie's essay- writers grappling with colorful personal identities can produce beautiful, rich works that speak to diverse audiences. But, your post also reminded me of a fun, less serious example of merging worlds in literature. Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors, and his Japanese novels are strongly influenced by Western culture. For instance, one of his most notorious works, Norwegian Wood, is titled after the Beatles song. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_Murakami
ReplyDeleteNice evaluation of Rushdie's "Imaginary Homelands". I found his essay very insightful and I later watched an interview with Rushdie. Your post is also very interesting and it expands on what Rushdie was discussing within his writing.
ReplyDeletei think the beginning of your analysis is concise and fit well to the what Rushdie was trying to convey. But I failed to achieve from your interpretation is the explanation of the example you provided, not quiet sure what you meant there. Props for the effort thought.
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