The Image of the United States in Three Pakistani Novels

King, Bruce

doi:10.1080/14690760701571338

Cited by 43 publications

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“…On account of this fundamental influence and intervention of America in Pakistan's political history, this theme has been the leitmotif of many discursive accounts on the subject written in the past and even now, and fiction is no exception to this influence. Hence Bruce King (2007) portrays the positive image of America in Anglophone Pakistan fiction, especially in Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), Feryal Ali Gauhar's No Space for Further Burial (2007) and Kamila Shamsie's Broken Verses (2005). These novels are primarily concerned with the identities of Americans and the general perception of Pakistani people about them, especially from the Afghan war to 9/11.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Critique of American Supremacist Politics in Cold War in Sorayya Khan's City of Spies

Farid

Aftab

Iqbal

2021

GSSR

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The present study investigates the representation of America in Anglophone Pakistani Literature with a special focus on Sorayya Khan's City of Spies with the assumption to trace some possible connection between American intervention and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the context of Pakistan's politics. Given the American intervention in Pakistani politics and its indelible impact on the domestic and international scenario had made the country a virtual battleground for the superpowers of the world. Khan's novel situates this conflict in the aftermath of the military coup of General Zia, followed by the Afghan war and (c)overt American alliance in it, which brought about serious implications for the Pakistani state. The story of the novel offers some pertinent extracts which deal, literally or metaphorically, with the role and representation of America in these geostrategic events. The article has used the critical cultural angle by investing the theoretical views of Ziauddin Sardar in terms of the Muslim world's apathy for America in the aftermath of cold war politics are used to get a better insight into the central problem by underscoring how this foreign policy of America has been responsible for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…American Representation in Literature The representation of America in the literature of many colonized nations of Asia and Africa has remained a significant and pervasive subject in recent history (King, 2007;Ali, 2002). The American intervention has left indelible imprints on the political and social domains of these nations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Critique of American Supremacist Politics in Cold War in Sorayya Khan's City of Spies

Farid

Aftab

Iqbal

2021

GSSR

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“…As Richard Gray points out, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is one of the few 9/11 novels that stands out because it locates “crisis in an interstitial space” where “a discourse founded on either/or distinctions is interrogated and even subverted.” Thus, “identity is open to constant negotiation and renegotiation” (Gray 2011, 65). While the fundamentalist in the title will surely connote terrorism to most readers, there is, as Bruce King has pointed out, a double significance to be found, since Changez has been trained by his American employers “to focus only on economic fundamentals” (King 2007, 684–685). In the same way, Changez navigates what Shahin Gerami terms “global” (or Western) hegemonic masculinity (“white, Christian, heterosexual, and dominant”) versus the “national masculinity” in countries like Pakistan (Gerami 2005, 449–450).…”

Section: Migrant Masculinity: Mohsin Hamidmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐9/11 Literary Masculinities in Kalfus, DeLillo, and Hamid

Bjerre

2012

Orbis Litterarum

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In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, much of mainstream media constructed triumphant masculinist narrative of 9/11, a reductive conflation of history, politics, and masculinity, that quickly rubbed off on popular culture. This essay discusses three 9/11 novels that go against the triumphant narrative: Ken Kalfus’s A Disorder Peculiar to the Country (2006), Don DeLillo’s Falling Man (2007), and Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2008). The novels are analyzed in terms of their depiction of masculinities and heroic narrative. In various ways, the three novelists debunk the idealized male hero by presenting male protagonists who constantly fail to live up to the impossible standards expected by a wounded society that has retreated into the safety of a nostalgic past. The novels feature variations on mythic American manhood but also counter‐narratives that suggest another, more complex story, one that deconstructs and reinvents the notion of masculinity in the wake of 9/11.

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The Cambridge History of Asian American Literature

Srikanth¹,

Song²

2015

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The Cambridge History of Asian American Literature presents a comprehensive history of the field, from its origins in the nineteenth century to the present day. It offers an unparalleled examination of all facets of Asian American writing that help readers to understand how authors have sought to make their experiences meaningful. Covering subjects from autobiography and Japanese American internment literature to contemporary drama and social protest performance, this History traces the development of a literary tradition while remaining grounded in current scholarship. It also presents new critical approaches to Asian American literature that will serve the needs of students and specialists alike. Written by leading scholars in the field, The Cambridge History of Asian American Literature will not only engage readers in contemporary debates but also serve as a definitive reference for years to come.

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The Image of the United States in Three Pakistani Novels

Cited by 43 publications

References 0 publications

A Critique of American Supremacist Politics in Cold War in Sorayya Khan's City of Spies

A Critique of American Supremacist Politics in Cold War in Sorayya Khan's City of Spies

Post‐9/11 Literary Masculinities in Kalfus, DeLillo, and Hamid

The Cambridge History of Asian American Literature

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