Family saga indian and american family life in the novels of upamanyu chatterjee and jonathan franzen

Abstract

The 20th century saw a tremendous growth in the genre of fiction that newlinefocuses on family life. Values in families and the morality of individuals are newlinedegrading day by day. The individuals strive to make their existence though their newlineidentity and dignity but are crushed by the challenges and problems of family newlinelife. This research work aims at juxtaposing and thematically analysing the works newlineof the Indian writer Upamanyu Chatterjee and the American writer Jonathan newlineFranzen. newlineBorn in the year 1959 and beginning their fictional career in the same newlineyear, 1988, both the novelists Chatterjee and Franzen share some common newlineideologies of the contemporary era. This study analyses Chatterjee s English, newlineAugust: An Indian Story (1988), The Last Burden (1993), The Mammaries of the newlineWelfare State (2000), Weight Loss (2006), Way to Go (2010) and Franzen s The newlineTwenty Seventh City (1988), Strong Motion (1992), The Corrections (2001) and newlineFreedom (2010). newlineThe novelists are similar in many aspects especially in their dealing of newlinefamily trials and tribulations. They highlight the vacuum in the family and the newlineabsence of love and communication. They have social consciousness and the newlinevalues they impart to the readers are monumental and basic for life to continue on newlinethis planet. newlineThis thesis entitled Family Saga: Indian and American Family Life in the newlineNovels of Chatterjee and Franzen aims at probing into the problems in family newlinerelationship. The objective of this study is to analyse culture in the Indian and newlineAmerican societies, its impact on individual and family life and how a newlinedysfunctional family tries to cope up with the society. newline