Experimental techniques evident in the Sinhala novel (Based on selected female-authored novels written in the 2020-2023 period)

Abstract

A salient feature of Sinhalese novels published during the first two decades of the twenty-first century is the creative endeavor displayed in representing Sri Lankan historical evolution and related themes through the use of narrative styles unique to each novelist. The objective of this research was to examine these narrative techniques revealed in selected mainstream female-authored novels using a comparative approach.

In the research conducted in accordance with this objective, the novels Girija by Manohari Jayalath and Camelia by Virajini Thennakoon were analyzed as primary sources under a qualitative research methodology. In analyzing the primary sources, Feminist Literary Criticism was utilized as the main theoretical approach, while Post-colonial Literary Criticism and Sociological Literary Criticism theories were appropriately employed as supplementary theoretical perspectives.

An investigation into the contemporary political context that provided dynamism to the awakening and stimulation regarding historical novel writing since the dawn of the twenty-first century revealed that a stream of novels demonstrating similar thematic commonalities is also established in contemporary Indian fiction. The South Asian regional affinities that led to the conclusion of such dual creative trends were also discussed comparatively.

The study made evident the parallels and disparities in female-authored historical novels, while revealing relatively novel and distinct features regarding the life philosophies adopted by the novelists as well as their use of experimental narrative techniques. It is highlighted that the talented skill displayed by the authors in utilizing the Bildungsroman structure, as well as their capability to adapt Magical Realism by structuring their narratology based on nourishment received from local and foreign storytelling traditions, is worthy of attention. Furthermore, it became clear that Sinhalese female novelists had authoritatively utilized secondary sources regarding the relevant historical context prior to writing historical novels and had approached fiction writing with specific attention to period-appropriate language usage.