Estrangement and engagement in shaping reader perception in Amit Chaudhuri’s works

This paper explores the literary technique of defamiliarization, or estrangement, in the works of Amit Chaudhuri, focusing on its effect on reader perception and narrative engagement. Chaudhuri's fiction, known for its meditative pace and attention to the mundane, reconfigures ordinary experiences through stylistic innovation and philosophical depth, thereby challenging readers’ habitual modes of seeing. By analyzing select novels and stories, the study demonstrates how Chaudhuri employs linguistic simplicity and aesthetic minimalism to foreground everyday life in a manner that renders it unfamiliar, prompting readers to reassess their assumptions and perceptions. The narrative distance created through estrangement does not alienate but rather deepens engagement, as readers are drawn into a contemplative space where the familiar becomes newly significant. The paper also engages with theoretical perspectives from Russian Formalism and reader-response criticism to contextualize Chaudhuri’s strategies within broader literary traditions. Ultimately, the study argues that Chaudhuri’s defamiliarizing approach fosters a distinctive reading experience—one that emphasizes stillness, introspection, and renewed perception. This nuanced form of engagement positions Chaudhuri as a significant contemporary voice, whose work redefines narrative realism and expands the boundaries of how fiction can evoke meaning from the seemingly trivial.