Metaphors of Dislocations: Renewal of Spirit Sought

Abstract

This paper critically examines the trajectory of the post-Independence Indian English novel, arguing that while the genre has attained significant success in representing socio-political realities—such as gender, displacement, urban alienation, and postcolonial identity—it has largely neglected the deeper spiritual and metaphysical dimensions intrinsic to Indian literary tradition. Drawing upon the insights of Carl Jung, Sri Aurobindo, Irving Babbitt, Rabindranath Tagore, and T. S. Eliot, the study interrogates the predominance of surface realism and immediacy in contemporary fiction. It contends that although modern Indian novels effectively portray the “metaphors of dislocation,” they rarely offer a vision capable of spiritual renewal. By revisiting the indigenous paradigm of sâdhana, wherein the writer functions as a seer, the paper proposes a reintegration of transcendental consciousness into literary practice. Such a reorientation is essential not only for aesthetic enrichment but also for addressing the ethical and existential crises of modern humanity. The paper ultimately advocates for a synthesis of the temporal and the transcendental as the defining feature of a truly “Indian” novel.