Social Sciences & Humanities Open· 2026Q1
Naming and shaping: Contours of Indian identity in Anita Desai's in custody
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- 2026year
Short summary
Anita Desai's novel 'In Custody' uses character names, analyzed through literary onomastics and new historicism, to reveal hidden social hierarchies and historical influences on post-independence Indian identity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Character names in Anita Desai's 'In Custody' are analyzed as a key artistic device.
- The study employs literary onomastics, new historicism, and cultural materialism.
- Naming conventions reveal hidden hierarchies related to religion, language, gender, and caste.
- The novel serves as a microcosm of post-independence Indian society in flux.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Anita Desai's fiction realistically portrays Indian society in flux after independence. In her novel In Custody , Desai uses the artistic device of naming to highlight and interrogate serious issues, including religion, language, gender, and caste, within a microcosmic representation of India. Although extensive research exists—through feminist, existentialist, and psychoanalytic lenses—this study adopts a novel approach: literary onomastics. By analyzing character names alongside new historicism and cultural materialism, this paper argues that Desai's tacit understanding of the naming conventions uncovers hidden hierarchies embedded in Indian society and reveals how centuries of history shape present realities.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Visual Arts and Performing ArtsArts and Humanities