Love, Desire, and the 'Consciousness-Raising' in Triveni's Novels: An Analysis of Sothu Geddavalu (She Was Defeated, Had Won)

Abstract

This study examines how the novels of women writers, particularly the works of Triveni, fostered feminist consciousness in India in the 1950s, 1960s, and the subsequent decades. Contrary to the scholarly views that this era saw a decline in feminist politics, the author argues that the women’s novels provided a platform for women to articulate and discuss shared experiences of patriarchal oppression. This paper focuses on an analysis of Sothu Geddavalu, a novel, which portrays the moral double standards surrounding sexuality and desire. While the female protagonist, Bharathi, endures severe social and familial censure for her actions, the male characters face no comparable consequences. The novel concludes with the male protagonist advocating for equality in love, suggesting that both men and women be judged by the same moral yardstick. The author postulates that the informal discussions of Triveni’s novels functioned similar to Consciousness-raising groups, though with significant differences. Like CR groups, these discussions, centered on women’s experiences, shared patterns of oppression, and operated without formal leadership. However, unlike CR groups, these discussions were not overtly political, did not aim to inspire collective action, and unfolded within domestic spaces. This ‘proto-feminist’ consciousness-raising was limited but significant.