The idea of looking at Third World Literature as national allegories stems from an outsider’s desire to make sense of foreign literature. Frederick Jameson put forth this theory for non-South Asian residents to comprehend cultural nuances and help reconcile western reading habits with unique South Asian literature.
On the other hand, Thomas Palakeel refutes the “national allegory” generalization. He believes that “many regional literatures...are so removed from the national consciousness that they seldom acknowledge nationalism as an issue,” and thus it would not do the rich variety of South Asian literature justice if readers only look at the literature as national allegories. (99)
Since diasporic writers lead the charge for South Asian literature, it is easy to understand why scholars believe all Third World Literature are national allegories. Diasporic writers, stranded from their country of origin, fall victim to nostalgic feelings. This nostalgia, coupled with the totalisation and deterritorialization of diasporic writers, creates a South Asian literature field dominated by diasporic influence and the assumption that all South Asian literature are national allegories.
A juxtaposition of textual analysis, scholarly and website articles, photography, films, novels, and poems are used to present this project’s findings.