Performing the Self: A Bakhtinian Carnivalistic Reading of Amita Parikh's The Circus Train

This study employs Mikhail Bakhtin's theory on "Carnival", to interpret Amita Parikh's novel The Circus Train (2022) as part of the broader framework of historical fiction that examines themes related to identity, belonging and psychological resilience against the backdrop of World War II. It addresses a gap in previous research by being the first to utilize a carnivalistic approach to the analysis of The Circus Train, demonstrating how Bakhtin's theory on Carnival is applicable to identity-construction processes and self-discovery within the context of chaotic, liminal spaces beyond the medieval celebrations Bakhtin made reference to. The methodology used in this study consists of a qualitative approach to…