Pakistani English Literature — Study Notes, Analysis and Past Papers

Pakistani English literature is literature written in English by Pakistani writers, and by writers of the Pakistani diaspora. It begins with the colonial period, grows through Partition and independence, and reaches the present through writers who write about migration, identity, religion, class and belonging from inside Pakistan and from abroad. For MA and BS English students in Pakistan it is a paper of its own, with its own set texts and past papers — and it is the subject this blog covers in the most depth.

The notes below are grouped by writer and by text. Each note answers one exam question: a summary, an analysis of theme and character, or a close reading of a poem. Start with the writer you are studying, read the note on your text, and follow the links inside each note to the related poems, stories and questions. The past papers at the end show how the paper is actually set.

Novels

Ahmed Ali — Twilight in Delhi

• Analysis of "Twilight in Delhi" by Ahmed Ali

Bina Shah — Slum Child

• An Analysis of Bina Shah's Slum Child

Bapsi Sidhwa — Ice-Candy-Man

• Analysis of Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa
• Themes in Ice Candy Man
• Feminism in 'Ice Candy Man' by Bapsi Sidhwa

Mohsin Hamid — The Reluctant Fundamentalist

• Introduction to Mohsin Hamid's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist"
• Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist: A critique of the grand narrative of globalization

Kamila Shamsie — Burnt Shadows

• History and Identity in Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows
• Exploring Identity, Trauma, and Globalization in Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows

Short stories

Saadat Hasan Manto

• A Literary Analysis of Thanda Gosht by Saadat Hasan Manto
• Analysis of "Khol Do" by Saadat Hasan Manto.
• Khol Do by Saadat Hasan Manto
• The Horrors of Rape and Trauma in Khol Do by Saadat Hasan Manto
• Analysis of “Toba Tek Singh” by Saadat Hasan Manto.
• Toba Tek Singh by Saadat Hasan Manto

Daniyal Mueenuddin

• The story Nawabdin Electrician by Daniyal Mueenuddin

Rohinton Mistry — Tales from Firozsha Baag

• A Critical Explanation of The Ghost of Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry
• Summary of the Ghost of Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry

Qaisra Shahraz — A Pair of Jeans

• A Pair of Jeans by Qaisra Shahraz
• Ayub has been presented as a stereotypical Pakistani male in the story Pair of Jeans by Qaisra Shahraz

Poetry

Taufiq Rafat

• Taufiq Rafat's Use of Language in His Poetry
• Analysis of Time to Love by Taufiq Rafat
• The Kingfisher Poem by Taufiq Rafat
• The poem Village Girl by Taufiq Rafat
• The Wind Howls by Taufiq Rafat
• Wedding in the Flood by Taufiq Rafat
• Critical Analysis of the Poem The Last Visit by Taufiq Rafat
• What does Taufiq Rafat want to signify through the blame on the girl as a pot licking wench?

Daud Kamal

• Poem The Hunt by Daud Kamal
• Poem An Ancient Indian Coin by Daud Kamal
• Summary and Analysis of The poem Prayer Beads by Daud Kamal
• Analysis of Poem "Floods" by Daud Kamal
• Critical analysis of the poem The Rebel by Daud Kamal

Alamgir Hashmi

• The Snow by Alamgir Hashmi

Usman Ali — The Last Metaphor

• The Last Metaphor by Usman Ali
• The Last Metaphor as a representation of Pakistani Culture

Past papers

• Pakistani Literature in English (IPL) Past Paper
• Pakistani Literature in English (IPL) Past Paper 2
• Introduction to Pakistani Fiction Past Solved Paper