Carnivalesque and Grotesque Realism: Stage as Carnival Space in Mahesh Dattani’s Brief Candle

Abstract

The present research paper aims to analyze the play Brief Candle using Mikhail Bakhtin’s concepts of ‘Carnivalesque’ and ‘Grotesque.’ The researchers argue that the play has ‘Carnival Space,’ where the reality is subverted momentarily through the metadrama. Moreover, the researchers use grotesque ideas to focus on the exhibition of gross bodily elements that happen because of medical treatment. The object of abhorrence is masked by disfiguration and roleplay. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin’s work, Rabelais and His World, the paper attempts to delineate various characteristics of Carnivalesque with instances from the text. The researcher also argues that the play creates a carnival space by adopting the subversions and other characteristics of Bakhtin’s concepts.