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This thesis shows the condition of outsidedness in the fiction of two Indo-English authors: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Salman Rushdie. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala focuses on the intercultural encounter from the European perspective. Salman Rushdie writes from the expatriate's point of view. Astride the cultural frameworks of India and the West at once, they examine the ironic similarities of prejudice and intolerance in both societies. These authors' novels are examined through concepts elaborated by the Russian literary theoretician, Mikhail Bakhtin, such as exotopy or outsidedness, heteroglossia, dialogism, etc. They confirm Bakhtin's contention that cultural confrontation is a potentially enriching source of literary and artistic creation. Jhabvala treats the intercultural encounter within the colonial and post-colonial frameworks and shows the fragile dialogue that does occur between her European characters and India. Rushdie on the other hand centres mainly on contemporary India although he does satirize certain aspects of colonial India.
About the author
Lalita Bharvani has been teaching English language at the Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel of Terrebonne (Québec) and English literature at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. She is now retired.
