LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 15:1 January 2015
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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A Thematic Study of Shobhaa De’s Novels --
Socialite Evenings and Second Thoughts

D. Ponezhil, M.A., M.Phil.

Social Evenings

Lawrentian Shobhaa De

Shobhaa De began a career in journalism in 1970 in the course of which she founded and edited three popular magazines Stardust, Society and Celebrity and was consulting Editor to Sunday and Megacity. She earned both name and fame while working as a freelance writer and columnist for several leading newspapers and magazines. Shobhaa De, a modern novelist, famous for portraying the sexual mania of the commercial world in a very frank and straight forward way, shot into literary limelight by writing her first novel, Socialite Evenings which is lawrentian in expression. She believes that a man’s personality can be judged in a true perspective only when one goes into the interior more than his exterior behaviour. Sex, ‘the root of all our energy’ plays a very vital role in the fictional world of Shobhaa De. Most of her novels analyse the various aspects of sex, a great urge of human beings.

A Prolific Creative Writer

Shobhaa De
Shobhaa De
Courtesy: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/netas-vs-shobhaa-de-no-regrets-for-threats-sexist-remarks-399875

Shobhaa De is an author of twelve books. Her works generally start with the letter ‘S’. Her first novel was the best-selling Socialite Evenings (1989). In 1990 she published Starry Nights. Her other works are Sisters (1992), Strange Obsession (1992), Sultry Days (1994), Snapshots (1995), Second Thoughts (1996), Uncertain Liaisons (Co-edited with Khushwant Singh, 1993), Shooting from the Hip: Selected Writings (1994), Surviving Men(1997), Selective Memory (1998), Small Betrayals (1995), Speedpost (2000), Spouse (2004), Super India (2008), while Swabhimaan Kity Party and Sukanya are her TV serials telecast by DD1 and DD2 in 1997, 2001 and 2003-2004 respectively. She is also renowned as a freelance writer and columnist for several leading newspapers and magazines.

Tactful Treatment of Themes and Characters

Shobhaa De as a writer is gifted with an extra-ordinary ability to discuss very sensitive aspects of human life tactfully. The way she narrates each and every aspect of human relationship in general and man-woman relationship in particular, is really insightful. Conservatives in India may criticise her for her open discussion on sexual matters. But her fiction has got tremendous response from all over the world including several European countries.

Second Thoughts

From Socialite Evenings to Second Thoughts, Shobhaa De evolved as a sensitive writer. Because of the type of stories Shobhaa presents in her novels one may assume that there is little insight into human nature and very little effort made to probe into human nature and feeling. However, Shobhaa De’s stories are real stories, still happening in real life. Human relations based on gender distinctions, masculine domination, women’s predicament relating to tradition and modernity are all important issues. And Shobhaa De, through ordinary stories, brings out the reality of our world around us.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

D. Ponezhil, M.A., M.Phil.
Assistant Professor in English
The Standard Fireworks Rajaratnam College for Women
Sivakasi 626130
Tamil Nadu
India
ponezhildharmar@gmail.com

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