Exploring the Concept of Flânerie in Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance

Abstract

Aim of the Study: Concept of flânerie is considered the basis for the study of city and its landscapes; the buildings, parks and architecture and more importantly how the wanderer known as flaneur, artistically paints the picture of it. The research article proposes to seek the practical application of chosen theory in the contemporary literature. For this purpose, the study aims to analyze the cityscapes, the haptic and intimate experience presented as ‘Flânerie’ in the selected text.

Methodology: It is a qualitative-theory based study and has used the concept of ‘Flânerie’ by Walter Benjamin as the theoretical framework to achieve the objectives of the study. The analysis of the study is based upon Mistry’s novel ‘A Fine Balance’ and textual analysis is adopted as the research tool to analyze the two main characters of the selected text.

Findings: This research article proposes that literature, whether belonging to past or the contemporary times, offers textual flânerie to its readers, turning them into wanderers of places and spaces within the confined walls of their exposure.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the concept of ‘Flânerie’ is not just limited to act of roaming through cityscapes, rather it includes the study of texts within the city that are in the forms of advertisements, signboards, shop names, streets, buildings and architecture etc. Studying and understanding of these texts turns the reader into a flaneur and indulging the reader in the act of textual Flânerie.