Deconstructing Mythical Archetypes: An Analytical Study of 'Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen' through a Feminist Lens

  • Unique Paper ID: 202995
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 12
  • PageNo: 8209-8212
  • Abstract:
  • This paper examines Kavita Kane’s Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen (2013) through a feminist lens. It explores how the novel challenges traditional mythical archetypes found in the Mahabharata, especially those related to women. By focusing on Uruvi, a character who remains almost invisible in the original epic, Kane brings forward a female voice that questions caste, patriarchy, war, and destiny. This paper argues that Kane reshapes the epic tradition by giving emotional depth, moral agency, and intellectual presence to a woman who would otherwise remain silent. Using ideas from feminist thinkers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, the paper explains how Uruvi becomes both an “outcast” and a “queen,” challenging fixed ideas about gender, power, and identity. Overall, the study shows how modern mythological fiction can open new spaces for women’s voices within classical narratives.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{202995,
        author = {Mitaben Bharatbhai Chavda},
        title = {Deconstructing Mythical Archetypes: An Analytical Study of 'Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen' through a Feminist Lens},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {12},
        pages = {8209-8212},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=202995},
        abstract = {This paper examines Kavita Kane’s Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen (2013) through a feminist lens. It explores how the novel challenges traditional mythical archetypes found in the Mahabharata, especially those related to women. By focusing on Uruvi, a character who remains almost invisible in the original epic, Kane brings forward a female voice that questions caste, patriarchy, war, and destiny. This paper argues that Kane reshapes the epic tradition by giving emotional depth, moral agency, and intellectual presence to a woman who would otherwise remain silent. Using ideas from feminist thinkers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, the paper explains how Uruvi becomes both an “outcast” and a “queen,” challenging fixed ideas about gender, power, and identity. Overall, the study shows how modern mythological fiction can open new spaces for women’s voices within classical narratives.},
        keywords = {Feminism, Indian mythology, Mahabharata retellings, Kavita Kane, Karna’s Wife, female agency, mythical archetypes, marginalisation, identity.},
        month = {May},
        }

Cite This Article

Chavda, M. B. (2026). Deconstructing Mythical Archetypes: An Analytical Study of 'Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen' through a Feminist Lens. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(12), 8209–8212.

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