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Title: Exploring the Concept of Flânerie in Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance
Authors: Amna Laraib, Harmain Rukh
Journal: Human Nature Journal of Social Sciences (HNJSS)
Publisher: Human Nature Research Publisher
Country: Pakistan
Year: 2023
Volume: 4
Issue: 2
Language: English
Keywords: FlânerieFlaneurWanderingCity LandscapesContemporary Literature
Aim of the Study: Concept of flânerie is considered the basis for the study of city and its landscapes; the buildings, parks and architecture and more importantly how the wanderer known as flaneur, artistically paints the picture of it. The research article proposes to seek the practical application of chosen theory in the contemporary literature. For this purpose, the study aims to analyze the cityscapes, the haptic and intimate experience presented as ‘Flânerie’ in the selected text.
Methodology: It is a qualitative-theory based study and has used the concept of ‘Flânerie’ by Walter Benjamin as the theoretical framework to achieve the objectives of the study. The analysis of the study is based upon Mistry’s novel ‘A Fine Balance’ and textual analysis is adopted as the research tool to analyze the two main characters of the selected text.
Findings: This research article proposes that literature, whether belonging to past or the contemporary times, offers textual flânerie to its readers, turning them into wanderers of places and spaces within the confined walls of their exposure.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the concept of ‘Flânerie’ is not just limited to act of roaming through cityscapes, rather it includes the study of texts within the city that are in the forms of advertisements, signboards, shop names, streets, buildings and architecture etc. Studying and understanding of these texts turns the reader into a flaneur and indulging the reader in the act of textual Flânerie.
To explore the concept of flânerie in Rohinton Mistry's novel "A Fine Balance" and to investigate the venues of class division and haptic presence experienced by the main characters as flâneurs.
This is a qualitative, theory-based study using Walter Benjamin's concept of "flânerie" as the theoretical framework. Textual analysis of Rohinton Mistry's novel "A Fine Balance" is employed as the research tool, focusing on two main characters.
graph TD;
A["Qualitative Research Methodology"] --> B["Theoretical Framework: Walter Benjamin's Flânerie"];
B --> C["Research Tool: Textual Analysis"];
C --> D["Selected Text: 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry"];
D --> E["Focus on Characters: Om and Ishvar"];
E --> F["Analysis of Cityscapes, Class Division, Haptic Presence"];
F --> G["Identification of Textual Flânerie"];
G --> H["Conclusion"];
The study argues that flânerie, as a concept, has evolved from a detached 19th-century observer to a more immersed, contemporary one. In "A Fine Balance," the characters' journeys through urban and rural landscapes, their observations of social practices, and their experiences of exploitation and marginalization illustrate this evolving concept. The novel serves as a prime example of textual flânerie, allowing readers to engage with the complexities of Indian society.
Literature, both past and contemporary, offers "textual flânerie" to readers, transforming them into wanderers of places and spaces. The concept of flânerie extends beyond mere physical wandering to include the study of urban texts like advertisements and signboards. In "A Fine Balance," the characters Om and Ishvar embody flânerie, revealing intimate urban experiences, class divisions, and haptic presence within Indian society.
The concept of flânerie, originating from physical strolling and observation, has expanded to encompass the study of urban texts and literary narratives. Through the analysis of "A Fine Balance," the study concludes that literature provides readers with textual flânerie, enabling them to become wanderers within the spaces and experiences depicted, highlighting themes of intimate urban experiences, class division, and haptic presence.
- The study analyzes Rohinton Mistry's novel "A Fine Balance," published in 1995.
- The research is based on Walter Benjamin's concept of flânerie.
- The journal is the "Journal of Social Sciences," Vol. 4, No. 2, published in June 2023.
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