Coming-of-Age Narratives in North-East Indian Women’s English Fiction: A Review of Literature on Female Bildungsroman and Gendered Identity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrjss.2026.v06.n01.003Keywords:
Bildungsroman, Identity, Gender, Memory, Trauma, EmpowermentAbstract
This review of literature examines major scholarly contributions on North-East Indian women’s English writing with particular emphasis on the works of Easterine Kire, Anjum Hasan, Daisy Hasan, Daribha Lyndem, and Malsawmi Jacob. The study explores how selected novels represent women’s experiences through themes of gender, identity, memory, trauma, belonging, and cultural negotiation. Existing scholarship highlights the significance of tribal and matrilineal contexts, collective memory, political conflict, and the relationship between individual and community identities. The review further demonstrates the relevance of feminist theory, postcolonial studies, cultural identity theory, trauma studies, and intersectionality in understanding these narratives. Special attention is given to the female Bildungsroman, which presents coming-of-age as a multidimensional process shaped by social, cultural, historical, and emotional factors. The review identifies important research gaps, including the lack of comparative studies, limited use of interdisciplinary approaches, and insufficient attention to empowerment and policy concerns. It establishes the rationale for a comparative study of six novels and highlights their relevance to issues of gender justice, education, cultural preservation, and social inclusion.
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