MAPPING GENERIC RESONANCE: A STRUCTURALIST PERSPECTIVE ON GUNTER GRASS’S THE TIN DRUM AND BAPSI SIDHWA’S ICE-CANDY-MAN

Abstract

The study, applying Structuralist paradigm on Tin Drum by Günter Grass and Ice-Candy-Man by Bapsi Sidhwa, investigates how individual texts contribute to a wider network of literary conventions.  Structuralism, with its emphasis on systems, patterns, and intertextuality, provides the basis for exploring how meaning in literature emerges through relations among texts rather than in isolation (Culler, 2002). The analysis reveals that both novels draw upon the conventions of the Bildungsroman—a German literary genre in which the protagonist matures through interactions with their environment—to structure their narratives. By tracing parallels in the protagonists’ developmental trajectories, the study demonstrates that literature embodies universal connections across cultural and geographical contexts, echoing Moretti’s (2000) argument about the circulation of literary forms across borders. The findings highlight the value of a Structuralist approach in showing how texts, regardless of origin, participate in a shared fabric of meaning, thereby reinforcing the intertextual and transcultural dimensions of literary studies.