Defamiliarization and Its Cultural-Emotional Impact on Modern Readers in Amit Chaudhuri’s Fiction

Abstract

This paper explores the role of defamiliarization in Amit Chaudhuri’s fiction and its cultural-emotional impact on modern readers. Drawing from Russian Formalist theory, particularly Viktor Shklovsky’s concept of making the familiar strange, the study examines how Chaudhuri’s use of defamiliarization reorients reader perception and deepens emotional engagement. His narratives, often centered around mundane and everyday experiences, such as meals, walks, or household conversations, resist conventional plot-driven storytelling and instead draw attention to the unnoticed textures of daily life. By rendering the ordinary in unfamiliar ways, Chaudhuri not only slows down the reader’s gaze but also provokes reflection on personal and cultural identity. The paper argues that this technique allows readers—especially those immersed in fast-paced modern environments—to rediscover emotional depth and cultural resonance in seemingly trivial experiences. Chaudhuri’s fiction, with its focus on middle-class Indian life, postcolonial consciousness, and domestic spaces, bridges the gap between cultural specificity and universal human experience. Through close textual analysis of select works, this study illustrates how estrangement operates as a subtle but powerful force that reshapes the reader’s inner response while challenging habitual ways of seeing. Ultimately, the paper highlights defamiliarization as a key element in fostering introspection, emotional receptivity, and cultural awareness in contemporary literary engagement.