{"product_id":"ramayana-stories-in-modern-south-india-an-anthology-paperback-softback-9780253219534","title":"Ramayana Stories in Modern South India; An Anthology (Paperback \/ softback) 9780253219534","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eRamayana Stories in Modern South India\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eAn Anthology\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003ePaula Richman (Edited by)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780253219534\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 6 March 2008\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e288 pages, 4 b\u0026amp;w photos, 1 maps\u003cbr\u003e23.5 x 15.6 x 2 cm, 0.431 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"One finds no greater epic narrative in Asia than the Ramayana, the story of Prince Rama's marriage to Sita, their 14-year exile, and his mighty conquest of the ten-headed demon Ravana. This epic traveled from northern India throughout the subcontinent and over the spice route and Silk Road, and still influences literatures and arts throughout Asia. In focusing on South India, Richman (South Asian religions, Oberlin College explores patterns among modern retellings of the epic over the past 100 years in the four major languages of that region: Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam. The anthology includes short stories, poetry, songs, poems, and plays foregrounding Rama's lovely wife Sita in various contexts; formerly marginalized or stigmatized characters, including some irascible ascetics; and the escapades of several extraordinary demons who inhabit this miraculous tale. By focusing on these three facets, Richman hopes to show, as she writes in her introduction, \"how retellings of the story of Rama and Sita play a vital role in Indian life today and reveal yet another facet of the gem we call Ramayana tradition.\" Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty interested in South Asian literature and religion. —Choice\"—T. S. Yamada, California State University, Long Beach, March 2009\u003cbr\u003e \"On the surface. . . it might appear challenging for an anthology of Ramayana Stories in Modern South India to tell us something new about the epic. This is, however, precisely what Paula Richman has been able to do through this lively and engaging volume. . . . The translations . . . are lucid and of consistently high quality. . . . The utility of this book for active undergraduate learning cannot be overstated. August, 2011\"—\u003ci\u003eH-Asia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \". . . Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty interested in South Asian literature and religion. March 2009\"—\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A refreshing addition to the scholarly and literary works in Indic studies. . . . The organization of the book successfully fulfills the needs of all who are interested in learning more about Indian society, its literature and culture, and about Ramayana. One does not need to be familiar with Ramayana or Ramkatha to appreciate this book. . . . Richman's work is an excellent study with a rich selection of writings and viewpoints on the ancient epic Ramayana. All of the works featured in the book are thought provoking and reach out to readers and scholars in a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to the fields of folklore, anthropology, women's studies, comparative literature, film, and theater.February 16, 2010\"—\u003ci\u003eJournal of Folklore Research\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"This collection makes a unique contribution to scholarship on Indian literature. It is clearly organized around provocative themes that are not the usual focus of Ramayana studies, illuminating not only the 'text' of the Ramayana, but aspects of South Indian history and culture as well.\"—Elaine Craddock, \u003ci\u003eSouthwestern University\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile some religious texts may remain static over time, the Ramayana epic has been retold in a variety of ways over the centuries and across South Asia. Some of the narrative's most probing and innovative retellings have appeared in print in the last 100 years in the region of South India. This collection brings together, for the first time, modern retellings translated from the four major South Indian languages and from genres as diverse as drama, short stories, poetry, and folk song. The selections focus on characters generally seen as stigmatized or marginalized, and on themes largely overlooked in previous scholarship. Editor Paula Richman demonstrates that twentieth-century authors have used retellings of the Ramayana to question caste and gender inequality in provocative ways. This engaging anthology includes translations of 22 primary texts along with interpretive essays that provide background and frameworks for understanding the stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents\u003cbr\u003e Preface: On Compiling Ramayana Stories in Modern South Indian Languages\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Note on Transliteration and Translation\u003cbr\u003e Introduction: Whose Ramayana Is It?\u003cbr\u003e Part 1. Sita in Context\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e 1. Asking Sita: The Questions Return, by Vijaya Dabbe\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Kannada by Shashi Deshpande and Pratibha Nandakumar\u003cbr\u003e 2. Sartorial Dilemmas: Letters from Lady Sita, by Kumudini\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Tamil by Paula Richman\u003cbr\u003e 3. A Mother-in-Law's Support: Sita Locked Out, a women's folksong\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Telugu by Velcheru Narayana Rao\u003cbr\u003e 4. Sita's Powers: Do You Accept My Truth, My Lord? a women's folksong\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Kannada by Leela Prasad\u003cbr\u003e 5. Talking Back: Sita Enters the Fire, by Gudipati Venkata Chalam\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Telugu by Sailaza Easwari Pal\u003cbr\u003e 6. The Pensive Queen: Sita Immersed in Reflection, by Kumaran Asan\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Malayalam by Rizio Yohannan Raj\u003cbr\u003e 7. Choosing Music: Forest (excerpt), by Ambai\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Tamil by Lakshmi Holmstrom\u003cbr\u003e 8. Forest of Possibilities: Reunion, by Volga\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Telugu by Krishna Rao Maddipati\u003cbr\u003e 9. Union with Nature: Prakriti and Sovereignty in Aravindan's Kanchana Sita\u003cbr\u003e Film analysis by Usha Zacharias\u003cbr\u003e 10. Struggling with an Ideal: In the Shadow of Sita, by Lalitha Lenin\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Malayalam by Rizio Yohannan Raj\u003cbr\u003e Part 2. Stigmatized Characters\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e 11. Transforming a Brahmin: Shudra Tapasvi (excerpt), by Kuppalli Venkata Puttappa\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Kannada by Girish Karnad and K. Marulasiddappa\u003cbr\u003e 12. Shambuka's Story Anew: Basavalingaiah Re-presents Shudra Tapasvi\u003cbr\u003e Performance essay by Paula Richman\u003cbr\u003e 13. Ahalya Later: Woman of Stone, by K. B. Sreedevi\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Malayalam by Gita Krishnankutty\u003cbr\u003e 14. Consequences of a Misdeed: Deliverance from the Curse, by Pudumaippittan\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Tamil by Lakshmi Holmstrom\u003cbr\u003e 15. The Nature of Stone: Ahalya, by S. Sivasekaram\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Tamil by Lakshmi Holmstrom\u003cbr\u003e 16. Domestic Abuse and the Neurologist: Ahalya, by N. S. Madhavan\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Malayalam by Rizio Yohannan Raj\u003cbr\u003e Part 3. So-called Demons\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e 17. Gender Reversal: The Horns of the Horse, by C. Subramania Bharati\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Tamil by Paula Richman\u003cbr\u003e 18. Male Rivalry and Women: Shurpanakha's Sorrow, by Kavanasarma\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Telugu by Alladi Uma and M. Sridhar\u003cbr\u003e 19. Marriage Offers: Mappila Ramayana of Hassankutty (\"the Mad\"), collected by M. N. Karassery from T. H. Kunhiraman Nambiar\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Malayalam by [John] Rich[ardson] Freeman\u003cbr\u003e 20. Sita Creates Ravana: Portrait Ramayana (excerpt), by H. S. Venkatesha Murthy\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Kannada by Manu Shetty\u003cbr\u003e 21. Ravana's Letter from Heaven: Come Unto Me, Janaki, by K. Satchidanandan\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Malayalam by Rizio Yohannan Raj\u003cbr\u003e Epilogue: Meta-narrative\u003cbr\u003e 22. Everyone Has Anxieties: Lakshmana's Laugh, a women's folksong\u003cbr\u003e Translated from Telugu by Velcheru Narayana Rao\u003cbr\u003e Glossary\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e List of Contributors\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Indiana University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52525934936344,"sku":"9780253219534","price":19.39,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/ramayana-stories-in-modern-south-india-an-anthology-paperback-softback-9780253219534","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}