Polyphony of Unguided Voices: A Bakhtinian Reading of Hosseini’s The Kite Runner
The Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin had given a variety of concepts to appreciate and analyze a novel. In this study, there is an attempt to apply the Bakhtinian intellectual tool of polyphony to unearth the deeper layers of Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. We argue that the novel is pol...
| Authors: | , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Country: | Brasil |
| Institution: | Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP) |
| Repository: | Bakhtiniana |
| Language: | English Portuguese |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/63323 |
| Online Access: | https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/bakhtiniana/article/view/63323 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Bakhtin Polyphony Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner Polifonia O caçador de pipas |
| Summary: | The Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin had given a variety of concepts to appreciate and analyze a novel. In this study, there is an attempt to apply the Bakhtinian intellectual tool of polyphony to unearth the deeper layers of Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. We argue that the novel is polyphonic through and through since it reverberates with multiple voices of various characters, and the novel’s narrative structure also supports this multiplicity of viewpoints. The novel defies the traditional path of having the final word from the author or the narrator. In many situations, the narrator’s voice struggles and fumbles with confusion, but the voices of some of the characters come up clearly and remain firm on certain aspects. This paper will provide a systematic exposition and an analysis of the novel The Kite Runner from the Bakhtinian lens to appreciate the anti-authorial mode where pluralism (polyphony) is celebrated. |
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