• ISBN13: 9788126914951
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: English Literature
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Atlantic
• Publication Date: August 20, 2014
• Pages: 208
• Original Price: INR 295.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 90 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): General

“A memorable book. The best that Anita Desai has written.” —Paul Bailey in the Evening Standard (about In Custody) “The beauty of In Custody is that what seems to be a story of inevitable tragedies turns out to be a tale of triumph over these tragedies…. Magnificent.” —Salman Rushdie in the Observer The novel In Custody by Anita Desai is significant as Desai here explores the psyche of male protagonist outside the circumscriptions of familial ties and obligations. She makes a departure from her earlier obsessive preoccupation with the interior landscape of hypersensitive and neurotic women. Anita Desai’s ‘In Custody’: A Critical Appraisal attempts to decipher even the un-deciphered issues of the novel. It offers an exhaustive critical commentary on the novel and the novelist. The book, comprising various articles on Indian-English fiction, Anita Desai, her art of plot construction, theme, characterization, narrative technique, textual issues, imagery, symbolism, etc. explores Desai’s fictional world. It highlights the textual treasure and interpretations in a very simple way for easy comprehension by the readers. It will be useful to the students and teachers of English literature, particularly Indian English literature, and researchers in these fields.

Neeru Tandon, M.A., L.L.B. (topper and gold medalist from Kanpur university), obtained her Ph.D. in Indian-English fiction. She is an editor, author, critic, feminist and a poet too. Her area of interest is contemporary fiction, mainly by Indian-English, Afro-American and Canadian women writers. She has been teaching English for the last 23 years. Presently, she is an Associate Professor at the Post-graduate Department of English, VSSD College, Kanpur. She has submitted her post-doctoral research work (D.Litt) in feminist fiction of India and America. Dr. Tandon has written many books which include Margaret Atwood: A Jewel in Canadian Writing; Feminism: A Paradigm Shift; Emily Dickinson: A Fresh Perspective; and Anita Desai and Her Fictional World. She has also written books on Tagore’s Muktadhara and Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable and has edited books such as Perspectives and Challenges in Indian-English Drama; and Feminine Psyche: A Post Modern Critique. A large number of scholarly papers written by her have been published in many books, national and international referred journals and e-journals. She is also a course coordinator at IGNOU (M.Phil Program on Gender Studies) and at CSJM University, Kanpur. She takes personality development and English speaking classes for professionals in various institutes. She is also Editor of Illuminati (an international journal), and Associate Editor of The Atlantic Critical Review, New Delhi.

• Preface
• 1. A Short History of Indian English Novel
• 2. Anita Desai: Biographical Details
• 3. Anita Desai: A Novelist with a Difference
• 4. Major Novels of Anita Desai
• 5. Anita Desai: A Psychological Novelist
• 6. Enduring Popularity of Anita Desai as a Novelist
• 7. Anita Desai’s Art of Plot Characterization and Prose Style
• 8. Female Characters of Anita Desai
• 9. Narrative Technique of Anita Desai
• 10. Various Critical Comments on Author and on the Novel
• 11. In Custody: An Introduction
• 12. Chapterwise Summary of the Novel and Critical Comments
• 13. Critical Appreciation of the Novel In Custody
• 14. Structure and Theme
• 15. Deven Sharma: An Unheroic Hero
• 16. Characterization
• 17. Existentialism in Anita Desai’s Fiction
• 18. Isolation and Alienation
• 19. Thematic Study of Love and Marriage
• 20. Desai’s Use of Irony
• 21. The Language Controversy
• 22. Use of Symbolism and Images
• 23. Various Episodes of the Novel
• Multiple Choice Questions
• True or False
• Bibliography