Exploring Cultural Studies through Diasporic English Literature and the Language of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Abstract

English literature has a unique style and has enriched literature by giving rise to many categories. One such category is diasporic writing, in which writers who were born in India but settled in foreign countries write about Indian culture and traditions. Writers such as Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Kiran Desai are prominent figures in this field. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is one of the most celebrated diaspora writers of the twentieth century. Her works portray diasporic women protagonists living in different cultures and experiencing alienation, isolation, exile, mental strain, confusion, and disorder at the level of diasporic consciousness. Her writing also emphasizes Indian culture and society, along with the profound feeling of isolation and fragmented human identity experienced under two cultures—one native and rooted in the past, and the other adopted and belonging to the present—without compromising one's sense of self. This paper emphasizes the language used by diasporic writers and the culture they follow. For instance, the spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, and sentence structure of American and British English differ from one another. It also highlights the cultural distinctions among different countries.