Reimagining Scheherazade: Feminist and Postcolonial Discourses in Githa Hariharan’s When Dreams Travel

Abstract

The depiction of women in traditional literary texts has consistently been a ‘colonized’ one. Patriarchal texts often assert universal male hegemony and dominance, neglecting cultural, social, and regional variances in experience and perspective. These texts tend to evaluate and present literature through a singular male ‘universal’ lens. Postcolonial critics have challenged this universalistic approach, advocating for the reclamation of the roles of marginalized people, especially women, who have been relegated to secondary, marginalized positions. Githa Hariharan, a prominent Indian post-colonial woman writer, has made significant efforts to ‘rewrite’ the neglected and often overlooked histories of women, emphasizing their roles in contrast to their traditionally depicted insignificance. In her novel When Dreams Travel, a reinterpretation of the renowned Arabian Nights, Hariharan sheds light on the obscure and forgotten aspects of the original story, offering a new perspective. She responds to the patriarchal original text, highlighting the ‘conditioning of marginality’ and ‘Othering,’ and challenges male dominance. Her novel reimagines the character of Scheherazade, transforming her from a male-controlled figure into a symbol of female strength and defiance. Hariharan’s narrative remains connected to the original Arabian Nights, with notable echoes and deviations. She distils elements of the legend to create her own novel, which continuously seeks the truth about the creation of a story, fundamentally ‘Her Story.’