From Urban Comfort to Rural Negotiation
A Postfeminist Cultural Study of Yashodhara Lal’s How I Became a Farmer’s Wife
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19490127 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thirumoorthi K (Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Group of Institutions), R Shobia (Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Group of Institutions) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 13s |
| Pages | 708-718 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-29 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2582-7472 • E-ISSN: 2582-7472 |
| Publisher | Granthaalayah Publications and Printers (PUBLISHER • IN) |
| DOI | 10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i13s.2026.8667 |
| OpenAlex | W7164930773 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
Yashodhara Lal’s How I Became a Farmer’s Wife can be understood beyond its usual themes by focusing on lifestyle change, labour value, and adaptation. Indian Chick Lit mostly presents urban life as the model of success, where stability, career growth, and organised routines are important. However, this novel questions that model by showing rural relocation as a lived experience that reveals the limits of such urban expectations. The analysis employs a qualitative textual approach and examines key moments in the narrative when the protagonist transitions from a predictable urban life to an uncertain agricultural setting. Instead of treating this shift as an act of empowerment, the paper uses the concept of “adaptive survival” to explain how individuals adjust to new economic and environmental conditions. This process includes stages such as disruption, resistance, adjustment, and gradual settling. The discussion shows that the novel challenges urban ideas of productivity by presenting labour in practical and experience-based terms. Rural life is not shown as an easy or ideal option but as a demanding system that requires effort, flexibility, and continuous learning. Through this, the narrative questions common models of success and suggests a more flexible understanding of value and sustainability. By focusing on adaptation and changing ideas of labour, this paper offers a fresh perspective to Indian Chick Lit studies. It also connects literary analysis with broader areas such as cultural economics and sustainability, offering a deeper understanding of contemporary lifestyle narratives
Narrative · Productivity · Relocation · Rural area · Wife · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies · South Asian Studies and Diaspora
| Highly cited | No |
|---|