The epistolary fiction Giraya by PunyakanteWijenaike and its variable authenticity leading to multiple interpretations

Abstract

This study on PunyakanteWijenaike‟s epistolary fiction Giraya seeks to explore how the variable authenticity of the novel leads to multiple interpretations with reference to intertextual analysis.Variable authenticity as mentioned in the heading carries the meaning of the questionable reliability of the narration, mainly due to the fact of its being based on the fictional diary entries of a woman (Kamini) caught up in an unhappy marriage living in an insecure house. „Fiction‟ is entirely a source of fascination which leads the readers to experience a fictional experience, believing in its authentic possibility during the course of reading. Nevertheless, the personal journal being extremely personal tends to conceal many untold stories behind the words written on the page. This ultimately implies the incapability of believing in epistolary fiction. Girya, on one hand, as Kamini's personal journal implies a tendency of hiding her true intentions especially when the house she lives feels like an insecure space with duplicate keys carved for every door. Therefore, it suggests a low authenticity given to the narration written in a single perspective. On the other hand, it is this issue of variable authenticity that provides multiple interpretations about the tragic incidents that occurred in the house such as the mistress‟ and the servant's deaths on the same night. Thus, the study focuses in detail on how this novel as an epistolary fiction leads to variable authenticity creating multiple interpretations, which undoubtedly had been used asa technique by the writer mindfully, to elevate the novel from its primary analysis based on a surface level.