Book contents
- Salman Rushdie in Context
- Salman Rushdie in Context
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Life
- Part II Literary and Creative Contexts
- Part III Historical and Cultural Contexts
- Chapter 10 Salman Rushdie and History
- Chapter 11 Religious and Ideological Mythologies in Salman Rushdie’s Novels
- Chapter 12 Revisiting the City in Rushdie’s Fiction
- Chapter 13 Nationalism and Transnationalism in Salman Rushdie’s Novels
- Chapter 14 Rushdie and Globalization
- Chapter 15 Salman Rushdie and Diasporic Identities
- Chapter 16 Rushdie and Secularism
- Chapter 17 Orientalism, Terrorism, and Counterinsurgency in Salman Rushdie’s Novels
- Chapter 18 Salman Rushdie’s Upwardly Mobile, Globally Migrating Middle Classes
- Chapter 19 Scheherazade and Her Cousins
- Chapter 20 Filmi Contexts
- Chapter 21 Salman Rushdie and World-Historical Capitalism
- Chapter 22 The Anthropocene and Ecological Limits in the Works of Salman Rushdie
- Part IV Critical Theoretical Contexts
- Part V Reception, Criticism, and Adaptation
- Works by Salman Rushdie
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 11 - Religious and Ideological Mythologies in Salman Rushdie’s Novels
from Part III - Historical and Cultural Contexts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2023
- Salman Rushdie in Context
- Salman Rushdie in Context
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Life
- Part II Literary and Creative Contexts
- Part III Historical and Cultural Contexts
- Chapter 10 Salman Rushdie and History
- Chapter 11 Religious and Ideological Mythologies in Salman Rushdie’s Novels
- Chapter 12 Revisiting the City in Rushdie’s Fiction
- Chapter 13 Nationalism and Transnationalism in Salman Rushdie’s Novels
- Chapter 14 Rushdie and Globalization
- Chapter 15 Salman Rushdie and Diasporic Identities
- Chapter 16 Rushdie and Secularism
- Chapter 17 Orientalism, Terrorism, and Counterinsurgency in Salman Rushdie’s Novels
- Chapter 18 Salman Rushdie’s Upwardly Mobile, Globally Migrating Middle Classes
- Chapter 19 Scheherazade and Her Cousins
- Chapter 20 Filmi Contexts
- Chapter 21 Salman Rushdie and World-Historical Capitalism
- Chapter 22 The Anthropocene and Ecological Limits in the Works of Salman Rushdie
- Part IV Critical Theoretical Contexts
- Part V Reception, Criticism, and Adaptation
- Works by Salman Rushdie
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter explores the wider contexts of how Salman Rushdie deploys myths and mythologies and critiques them in his novels. Rushdie’s work has in many ways been influenced by the secular mythology that emerges in Nehru’s seminal book, The Discovery of India. This mythology links Rushdie to ideas of ‘unity in diversity’ and a distinctively Indian form of secularism that produces equal respect for the range of religious communities that inhabit this geopolitical entity. That said, Rushdie engages with a wide range of myths and mythologies, drawn from Islamic traditions, especially Sufism, but also Buddhism, Hinduism, Greek mythology, and Christianity. Rushdie also considers new myths and mythologies, especially in his engagement with popular culture, rock music, and the cult of celebrity, as well as the emergence of consumer culture and capitalism.
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- Salman Rushdie in Context , pp. 147 - 158Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023