Sakuntala: Texts, Readings, Histories (Anthem South Asian Studies) - Softcover

Thapar, Romila

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843310260 ISBN 13: 9781843310266

Publisher: Anthem Press, 2002

Synopsis

The importance of Sakuntala as personifying Indian womanhood in Indian literature and culture is undisputed. This book attempts to explore some of the links between culture, history and gender and between literature and history by reading variant versions of the narrative of Sakuntala. These include the stories in the Mahabharata, the play by Kalidasa, and the eighteenth-century katha in Braj. The transformation of Sakuntala from an autonomous, assertive figure in the Mahabharata, to the quintessential submissive woman in the Kalidasa version, is carefully examined by the author through a fascinating reading of the texts and translations of the play in India and Europe.

About this title

Book Description:

The importance of Sakuntala as personifying Indian womanhood in Indian literature and culture is undisputed. This book attempts to explore some of the links between culture, history and gender and between literature and history by reading variant versions of the narrative of Sakuntala.

About the Author:

Romila Thapar has specialized in early Indian history and has written extensively on the many aspects of the past. She has been a Visiting Professor at universities in Asia, Europe and the USA, and is Emeritus Professor of History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

About this edition

• Publisher: Anthem Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1843310260
• ISBN 13: 9781843310266
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272