The portrayal of children who resent getting stifled within the regimen of home and school is a recurring feature of children’s fiction in Bangla, although they are by and large unable to break free of it. In the sub-genre of domestic fantasy within it, the child tries to find an outlet from the regimen of home and school for a while, but the most radical implications of her/his breaking out of the system get contained within the predominantly middle-class worldview of the narratives. Detective stories deviate from this sub-genre umbrella inasmuch that the child gets caught or initiates an adventure in which s/he is able to realize her/his fantasy of solving a mystery. During this interlude, s/he not only transgresses the norms of respectable households but is appreciated for accomplishing an onerous task that is usually the prerogative of very clever adults. The sub-genre usually follows a serialized format, so the child can start on a new escapade, presumably after being compliant within the parameters of acceptable behaviour for a while.
December 2021, volume 45, No 12