اکیسویں صدی کے پاکستانی اردو افسانے کے دیہی کردار: ایک تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Abstract

This study analytically examines the representation of rural characters in Pakistani Urdu short stories of the twenty-first century. It explores how contemporary short-story writers portray rural society and its characters in relation to class conflict, economic exploitation, gender issues, traditional values, migration, and the conflict between tradition and modernity. The study also focuses on the psychological and emotional dimensions of rural characters and their changing identities in response to contemporary social conditions. The analysis of selected short stories by prominent Pakistani Urdu writers reveals that rural characters are not merely representatives of traditional rural life; rather, they reflect the changing socio-cultural realities of Pakistani society. Thus, twenty-first-century Pakistani Urdu short fiction presents rural characters as dynamic figures who embody both cultural continuity and social transformation