Belletristic, the literary society of the Department of English, Shoolini University, organised another erudite book discussion. Hasan Nassour, a doctoral student at Shoolini University, who hails from Syria, was the presenter for the event. He discussed Naomi Alderman’s extraordinary novel- THE POWER.
The panel for discussion consisted of faculty members, Head of the Department Prof. Manju Jaidka, Tej Nath Dhar, Purnima Bali, Neeraj Pizar, Sakshi Sundaram, Rajesh Williams, and Navreet Sahi.
Hasan Nassour began the session with the concept of Utopia and Dystopia concerning women. He began with a quote from Joanne Russ who once asked, “What can a heroine do? Or Why women can’t write?” and went on to assert that a woman’s character has been limited because in a patriarchal society, woman has been prescribed certain rules that she cannot transgress. They have to follow socially accepted norms in their works or else they are rejected by their society. The idea of Utopia is an escape for women from the present and a form of silent rebellion against restrictions imposed by society. Citing examples from the text, Hasan highlighted the fact that the language used in the book is evocative and conveys its meaning in multiple ways. He concluded by suggesting that this books studies the link between sexuality and power.
The session was further carried forward by an interesting discussion based on the questions asked by the attendees and the panelists. The session proved an eye-opener for all students and researchers who wish to understand the nuances of literature and go in for further research.
