Echoes of the Unheard: Counter-Narratives of Women in Postmodern Mythology

Author(s)	Dr Punam Pandey, Dr Vipin Kumar Pandey
Country	India
Abstract	Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis The Palace of Illusions offers a powerful feminist reimagining of the Mahabharata, centering Draupadis voice to challenge patriarchal dominance in myth. This paper explores how postmodern mythology becomes a space for resistance, reclaiming marginalized womens voices from epic traditions. Through close readings of Divakaruni, Pratibha Rays Yajnaseni, and Kavita Kanes Karnas Wife, the study examines how women like Draupadi, Kunti, and Urvi are redefined as complex individuals with agency and inner depth. Using narrative tools like metafiction and fragmented storytelling, these counter-narratives subvert conventional hierarchies and foreground emotional autonomy. The research argues that such feminist rewritings reclaim silenced spaces rather than erase tradition, allowing the long unheard echoes of mythic women to be recognized in the literary and cultural canon.
Keywords	Monolithic , Feminist Mythology, Counter-Narrative, Metafiction, Polyphonic Narratives, individual subjectivity, gender resistance
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-09
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.80818

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