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.