Narratives of Isolation and Pessimism: A Barthesian Reading of Selected Pakistani Short Stories written during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Pandemic fiction is generally regarded as the
representation of individuals’ responses to crisis and the
restructuring of societal norms. In this respect, the COVID-19
pandemic and its impact on people’s lives have been depicted in
various ways across the world. The writings of Pakistani
authors during COVID-19 pandemic are informed by the themes
of isolation, uncertainty, and pessimism. The Stained-Glass
Window (2020) is one of the literary works written during the
early lockdown, portraying the anxiety and stress that the
authors experience. This article critically analyzes three selected
short stories from the anthology through the lens of Barthes’
Theory of Five Codes (1974) to argue that the texts of the
stories about the pandemic are rich with these themes of
isolation, fear and hopelessness. The codes highlight the said
themes embedded in multiple ways within the text which are
illustrated through proairetic, hermeneutic, semantic, symbolic
and cultural codes. Its significance lies in the investigation of a
phenomenon of authorial perspectives that holds prominence in
the field of qualitative literary analysis. The approach and
findings both contribute to the field of humanities in the sense
that the latter supports the amalgamation of literature with
science while the former extends the scope of narrative theory.