A Postmodernist Critique of Hashim Nadeem’s Novel “Muqadas”

Abstract

Postmodernism is a newly emerged literary movement having strong influences of postcolonialism and feminism in it. It deals with various real-life incidents while keeping absurdity, intertextuality, allegory, fragmentation, faction, figures of speech, meta-narratives and reader’s involvement at the background. This research has been carried out as a step to put light on the works of Pakistani Urdu writers who are ignored at international level. Basic aim of this research is to see that whether “Muqadas” written by Hashim Nadeem is a postmodern novel. In order to do so, novel “Muqadas” has been investigated in the light of postmodern elements identified by various postmodernists. The research reveals that the novel employs various postmodern elements such as faction, meta-narratives, intertextuality, alienation from emotions, absurdity and fragmentation. After a careful critical discussion, it is evident that “Muqadas” is a postmodern piece of text.