num_pages: 272
description: * Sakuntala is an enigmatic figure in Indian mythology -- a woman variously repressed, assertive and submissive * Combined texts and new interpretations 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, through reading variant versions of the narrative of Sakuntala. These include the stories in the "Mahabharata", the play by Kalidasa, and the 18th 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.
language: English
title: Sakuntala: Texts, Readings, Histories
titlecomplete: Sakuntala: Texts, Readings, Histories (Anthem South Asian Studies)
genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, History
ratings_count: 67
publisher: Anthem Press