#Me Too: Cultural Framing of Women in Pakistani English Fiction and Non-Fiction

Abstract

Gender discrimination as a menace has frequently been reflected in fiction, particularly the literature from the South Asian countries, where culture, religion, and patriarchy control the societies mostly. The present study aims to highlight the cultural framing of women in Pakistani English fiction and non-Fiction. De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex provides a theoretical lens to this study to highlight the representation of the sexual violence faced by women in public places portrayed in Bhutto’s Daughter of the East Khan’s Trespassing. The study found that, though Pakistani fiction and non-fiction in English help voice the freedom and liberty of Pakistani women, the ripple effects of these narratives fail to reach mainstream segments of society. The study implies a dire need to create activist forums for awareness among the womenfolk at a mass level to facilitate the underprivileged and marginalised, rather than benefitting the elitists.