Countering the "Misery Genre" : a postcolonial study of Monica Ali`s Brick Lane and Shelina JanMohamed`s Love in a Headscarf

Abstract

Creative works – especially life writings – by female writers with Muslim names that can be categorized as ‘misery genre’ are quite prominent in current literary discussion. Such literary texts portray Muslim women as victims of domestic abuse, forced/child marriage, rape, marginalization, societal discrimination and lack of freedom and educational opportunities under Muslim patriarchy. In contemporary British postcolonial literature, there is a tendency among certain writers with Muslim backgrounds to caricature and misrepresent Muslim women and thus misrepresent Muslim societies. Conversely, another group of writers seem to counteract such narratives and show unconditional allegiance to their faith and culture. Based on this observation, this thesis explores the major issues in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane (2003) and Shelina Janmohamed’s Love in a Headscarf (2009) and investigates their perception and representation of diasporic Muslim women in Britain using postcolonial criticism. It also focuses on major contemporary issues involving the Muslim diaspora in Britain and the religion of Islam as portrayed in the two novels.