Published Online:June 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJES070626
DOI:10.71329/IUPJES/2026.21.2.72-88
Author Name:Aremanda Tushara and Baiju Krishnan
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Arts and Humanities
Download Format:PDF
Pages:72-88
This paper explores the connections between mythological characters and Indian freedom fighters in Shashi Tharoor’s The Great Indian Novel, examining how this intertextuality contributes to the novel’s narrative complexity and postmodernist approach. It also investigates the narrative strategies Tharoor employs to convey themes related to Indian history and mythology. For this purpose, the study adopts a qualitative approach, focusing on detailed textual analysis and interpretation to understand the intertextual and metafictional elements in Tharoor’s novel. By analyzing these elements, the study throws light on how Tharoor engages with postmodern literary theories and constructs a unique literary landscape. The findings of this paper illustrate how Tharoor re-imagines mythological characters as Indian freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Indira Gandhi, and how these reinterpretations create multiple layers of meaning, subverting conventional narrative frameworks in line with postmodernist ethos.
Intertextuality in Shashi Tharoor’s The Great Indian Novel (1989) is employed to create a rich, multilayered narrative that resonates on numerous levels. By aligning mythological characters such as Bhishma, Yudhishthira, and Karna with prominent Indian freedom fighters and political leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Subhash Chandra Bose (Dhanavade & Mhalunkar, 2021), Tharoor not only re-contextualizes historical events but also instills them with new meanings.