Personal is political: A critical study on the autobiographical paradigm shift with reference to Sudha Murthy’s writings

The Traditional Humanist Paradigm perceives literature as an ahistorical and apolitical entity to be examined. The above premise is supported by Eliot’s (1982) notion of depersonalisation, which states that the personal in any literary writing must be subjugated. The advancement of theory tries to analyse literature as discourse, which consists of numerous levels of reality that contribute to multidimensional truth perspectives. This poses a challenge for language as a way of constructing Reality, as all truths are simply partial representations. Postmodernism subverts the act of canonisation in literature, making personal writings such as autobiographies and memoirs a forum for discussion. Apart from that, it fundamentally challenges the concept of universality, viewing literature as a re-presentation of race, ethnicity, caste, class, gender, and the period in which it was produced. Among these re-presentations, autobiographical writing is gaining traction, indicating a transition from personal narrative to political and subsequently to politicise. As a relevant frame, this study will trace this transformation through Sudha Murthy’s JRD’s words inspired me in philanthropy and few other writings. The relevance of the personal-political link will be highlighted as a result.