I guess I was expecting more from Roy, after having heard so much about the novel and having enjoyed her political stuff so much? I found Small Things grim and humourless, and that may have been one of the reasons why I disliked it so much. (The suffocating atmosphere, I think, was intentional) It is lyrical and atmospheric in parts, but I don't know. I just couldn't *get* into Rahel's narrative very much.
Whereas Rushdie. I despise a lot of the things he says; most of his later work is unreadable; MC is clunky and has *serious* gender issues. But - the setting! It's treatment of the Partition and the Emergency! It's historiographic metafiction at its finest, I think, and that's why I enjoyed it so much, more than Small Things and its, well, small things.
Part of my dislike of Small Things may also have something to do with my general irritation with Indian writing in English. Hmm. *scratches head*
I do, however, agree that there are serious similarities, thematically, in the two works. In fact, I think I wrote a paper once on their different uses of history and magical realism. That was fun to write.
Ooh, that sounds fun indeed! I was actually thinking of what it would be like to do a comparative study of the treatment of history in both novels. *g*
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branchandroot
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Date: 2008-06-20 03:58 pm (UTC)Whereas Rushdie. I despise a lot of the things he says; most of his later work is unreadable; MC is clunky and has *serious* gender issues. But - the setting! It's treatment of the Partition and the Emergency! It's historiographic metafiction at its finest, I think, and that's why I enjoyed it so much, more than Small Things and its, well, small things.
Part of my dislike of Small Things may also have something to do with my general irritation with Indian writing in English. Hmm. *scratches head*
I do, however, agree that there are serious similarities, thematically, in the two works. In fact, I think I wrote a paper once on their different uses of history and magical realism. That was fun to write.
Ooh, that sounds fun indeed! I was actually thinking of what it would be like to do a comparative study of the treatment of history in both novels. *g*