Daniyal Mueenuddin’s dying men
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12985478 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shazia Sadaf (0000-0001-7829-6815, University of Peshawar, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 490-504 |
| Publication date | 2014-07-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | South Asian History and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1947-2498 • E-ISSN: 1947-2501 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19472498.2014.936207 |
| OpenAlex | W1968842799 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
Daniyal Mueenuddin’s In Other Rooms, Other Wonders is an ominous reflection of Pakistani masculinity in a metamorphosed state. A disturbingly masculine vocabulary frames the appearance and actions of the female characters. In contrast, the speech and thought of the male characters is attenuated in words of loss and regret. Across a vast canvas spanning from the highest in social status to the lowest down the power ladder, Mueenuddin paints each male character in his hierarchical place. In between are middling characters, walking in and out of the story-rooms. Their material ambitions and the resulting show of power is put into sharp contrast against an increasing impotency within their personal lives. They are unfulfilled, aging or dying men. This collection of short stories has been commended for its candid illumination of a contemporary Pakistan. However, this paper aims to highlight the alternative theme that these stories contain by showing Pakistani masculinity caught in a paraxial state between colonial delineations of power, the subsequent rise of corruption in a postcolonial aftermath, and the resulting confusion about issues of identity. There has been a loss of masculinity during this process which is reflected through the metaphor of death. Rather than dejection about this state of demise, this metaphoric interpretation leads the reader towards hope of a positive rebirth
Aesthetics · Art · Character (mathematics · Identity (music · Linguistics · Literature · Masculinity · Metaphor · Power (physics · Sociology · State (computer science · Theme (computing · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · History · Philosophy · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |