The Politics of Mythical Space in Pakistani Poetry Written in English

Abstract

Mythical Space as opposed to physical space is extremely fertile and capable of unifying diverse elements. It is also self reflexive. Its creation and evolution becomes a quest to find the meaning of existence and man’s place in the cosmos. This paper examines how Pakistani poets, in particular Alamgir Hashmi, and to a certain extent Zulfikar Ghose, writing in English draw on mythical space as a frame of reference and apply complex techniques such as adept incisions and replacements, miniaturizing, elastic expansion, spatio-temporal manipulation, subversion and the use of literary devices in order to effect appropriation and contemporizing. This process leads to a reframing of selected Greek myths (related to Orpheus and Eurydice, Ulysses’ encounter with the Sirens, Penelope, Agamemnon and Iphigenia )in which Homer’s position as omniscient narrator is challenged, and the Pakistani poet’s predicament of writing in English are explored.