ABSTRACT

P. Sivakami’s acclaimed novel The Grip of Change (English translation of Pazhaiyana Kazhithalum, 1989) depicted the double-subjugation of Dalit women as they negotiate the power nexus between caste and gender. However, such a predominant reading-practice of Sivakami’s novel falters when juxtaposed with its sequel, Author’s Notes (Asiriyar Kurippu, 1998) that negates such ideological critique based on the author’s ‘lived experience’. In the sequel, the writer puts on the garb of the critic to analyse and dismiss the construction of the original novel with metafictional interventions. Hence, this chapter aims to critically comment on the form of the novels – the realist narrative of the first novel and the parodying interrogation of the sequel – in order to reflect on the contradictions and political shifts between them. By examining the formal politics of the two texts, this chapter seeks to highlight the political implication of Sivakami’s ‘revisions’ as well as address methodological questions about reading/theorising Dalit literature.