The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary Universe
Blending literary and cultural studies, the essay discusses the manners in which Jhumpa Lahiri’s literary universe constructs a gradual unfolding of a layered transcultural vision. The paper argues that in the shift from fictions of migration to autobiographical narratives of self-redefinition,...
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| Language: | English |
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University of Latvia Press
2024-05-01
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| Series: | Baltic Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.lu.lv/bjellc/article/view/2037 |
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| author | Adriana Elena Stoican |
| author_facet | Adriana Elena Stoican |
| author_sort | Adriana Elena Stoican |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Blending literary and cultural studies, the essay discusses the manners in which Jhumpa Lahiri’s literary universe constructs a gradual unfolding of a layered transcultural vision.
The paper argues that in the shift from fictions of migration to autobiographical narratives of self-redefinition, the Bengali-American author advances cultural scenarios of transformation that enable the reshaping of cultural identities through the transcendence of fixed cultural loyalties. Invoking perceived lacks in their native cultural traditions and intuiting the incompleteness of cultures, her characters are haunted by the urge to cross cultural boundaries in order to gain a sense of personal fulfilment. Ultimately, Lahiri herself replicates this pattern as she relocates to Italy and writes in a new language (Italian).
The last stage in Lahiri’s transcultural scenario is represented by an attempt to dissociate cultural specificity from the notion of identity, as she takes refuge in the realm of abstraction through minimalist aesthetics. Relying on a close reading of her texts, the essay will scrutinise the author’s peculiar outlook on transculturality, which appears to embrace various cultural spaces while seemingly avoiding specific attachments. The analysis aims to establish whether Lahiri succeeds in transgressing the very idea of cultural belonging in her quest for a freeing path.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77d64db442414841bf45ea9e19fcedcd |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1691-9971 2501-0395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Latvia Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Baltic Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture |
| spelling | doaj-art-77d64db442414841bf45ea9e19fcedcd2025-08-20T03:15:04ZengUniversity of Latvia PressBaltic Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture1691-99712501-03952024-05-011410.22364/BJELLC.14.2024.07The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary UniverseAdriana Elena Stoican0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9791-3540Bucharest University of Economic Studies Blending literary and cultural studies, the essay discusses the manners in which Jhumpa Lahiri’s literary universe constructs a gradual unfolding of a layered transcultural vision. The paper argues that in the shift from fictions of migration to autobiographical narratives of self-redefinition, the Bengali-American author advances cultural scenarios of transformation that enable the reshaping of cultural identities through the transcendence of fixed cultural loyalties. Invoking perceived lacks in their native cultural traditions and intuiting the incompleteness of cultures, her characters are haunted by the urge to cross cultural boundaries in order to gain a sense of personal fulfilment. Ultimately, Lahiri herself replicates this pattern as she relocates to Italy and writes in a new language (Italian). The last stage in Lahiri’s transcultural scenario is represented by an attempt to dissociate cultural specificity from the notion of identity, as she takes refuge in the realm of abstraction through minimalist aesthetics. Relying on a close reading of her texts, the essay will scrutinise the author’s peculiar outlook on transculturality, which appears to embrace various cultural spaces while seemingly avoiding specific attachments. The analysis aims to establish whether Lahiri succeeds in transgressing the very idea of cultural belonging in her quest for a freeing path. https://journal.lu.lv/bjellc/article/view/2037belongingHinduismincompletenessminimalismtranscendenttranscultural |
| spellingShingle | Adriana Elena Stoican The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary Universe Baltic Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture belonging Hinduism incompleteness minimalism transcendent transcultural |
| title | The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary Universe |
| title_full | The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary Universe |
| title_fullStr | The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary Universe |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary Universe |
| title_short | The Dynamics of Transcultural Insight in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Literary Universe |
| title_sort | dynamics of transcultural insight in jhumpa lahiri s literary universe |
| topic | belonging Hinduism incompleteness minimalism transcendent transcultural |
| url | https://journal.lu.lv/bjellc/article/view/2037 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adrianaelenastoican thedynamicsoftransculturalinsightinjhumpalahirisliteraryuniverse AT adrianaelenastoican dynamicsoftransculturalinsightinjhumpalahirisliteraryuniverse |