RAJA RAO'S SHORTER FICTION: The Enlightement Theme

This is the study of the theme of enlightenment in Raja Rao’s shorter fiction. It has been examined in terms of the motifs such as guru-disciple relationship, quest, quester-characters and archetypes like Devi/Mother, Shiva, Naga, etc. The term ‘enlightenment’ signifies wisdom, illumination and realization of the essence of being. It is the goal of any meaningful search in diverse religio-spiritual traditions. Being an evolved Advait Vedantin himself, enlightenment had extraordinary significance for Rao. His treatment of the theme of enlightenment ‘demythifies’ as well as demystifies its abstruse perception/postulation by making its quintessence comprehensible to ordinary human beings that people the fictional universe of his stories. The book pioneers the critique of the complete world of Rao’s stories in the light of Jungian psychology and Campbellian thought.

Roshan Lal Sharma teaches English and American literature in the Postgraduate Department of English at Government Degree College, Solan (H.P.). He was awarded Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship during 2007-08 to work on his book project on “Envisioning Walt Whitman from Sufic Perspective” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has also been an Associate Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla during 2004-06. Winner of the Isaac Sequeira Memorial Award for the best paper presented during Melus-Melow 2007 International Conference, Sharma has authored “Mount Karol and Other Poems” (2008) and “Walt Whitman: A Critical Evaluation” (2000), and co-edited “New Vistas” (2004) and “Under the Spotlight” (2002).