ABSTRACT
For a long time, cities have been a source of inspiration, expression, and investigation in literary works. As both producers and consumers of narratives, cities have surrounded their personalities and narratives in ways that reflect the topology, genealogy, and living archaeology of the city space. As a result, literature frequently assists in excavating cities through its manifestations and is also brought to light. Rather than seeing the city as a flat frame for literature, this introduction shows how cities in literary texts from different cultures and countries become more undulating and more transgressive and take unexpected turns. Additionally, the introduction demonstrates how literary works, including Indian writings, illustrate how cities give birth to visuals, perspectives, and facets of societal structure, and how Indian writers exemplify cities and their characters’ interactions to build a greater literary framework of subjectivity. In a broad sense, this introduction explores the different facets of urban sensibility and materiality, as well as the sociopolitical, cultural, moral, ethical, religious, and economic changes associated with the concept of city spaces that manifest visibly in works of Indian literature.
