Gentle Violence
Bengali Middle Class Women Living Under Patriarchy in Bani Basu's Novels
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/CIS.27.2025.01.04Keywords:
Bengali literature, Bani Basu, Indian middle-class, patriarchy, domestic violence, psychological violence, feminismAbstract
The article examines narratives on domestic violence in middle-class families in selected novels of an acclaimed Indian author, Bani Basu, who writes in Bengali. Svetpātharer thālā (1990) and Khārāp chele (2002), set in the second half of the 20th century in Kolkata, provide meticulous depictions of the patriarchal system in an urban middle-class society that is modern and conservative at the same time. The analysis suggests that Basu follows relatively conventional narrative patterns while portraying women experiencing domestic violence, namely showing their journey from submissive wives—psychologically manipulated by their husbands, their in-laws and the society at large—to self-confident agents of change who fight for their freedom and happiness, paying a heavy price for their acts of rebellion.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Weronika Rokicka
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