The Theme of Feminism and the Feminine-Psyche with its Further Exploration in the Novels of Anita Desai

Anita Desai speaks softly and her observations on life and writing are unsentimental, which is perhaps why she admires Rabindranath Tagore and Virginia Woolf — there is Woolf in the background, she remains the standard setter for me. In Anita Desai novels, we have portrayal of different facets of feminine psyche which covers women of all age's groups, but they are nothing but gripping and enticing stories of women sufferings in the male dominated society. Beneath the calm surface you sense the violence, with women on the edge, like widows who die of drink, or devouring characters. Thus, we can see that through these fascinating characterisations, she has done enough in exploring various facets of feminine psyche. Anita Desai is one of those few Indian novelists in English who have tried to understand closely the predicament of their female characters.