One recent and moving reinterpretation of the Ramayana by Ramachandra Gandhi suggests that the portion about the agnipariksha is not part of the story as it appeared in the oral tradition, being added at the instance of patriarchal men who came to exercise increasing influence in Indian society. Contrariwise, even Tulsidas's Ramacaritmanas , which is the most patriarchal of the widely read versions, recognizes that Ravana was not without certain admirable qualities. Indeed, the tales about the Ramayana suggest a wonderful self-reflexivity. But, as a Hindu wife, Sita suggests that she will willingly share her husband's life, and that at this critical moment she cannot abandon him. The Valmiki or Sanskrit Ramayana contains nearly 50,000 lines of verse, and is much longer than both the Iliad and the Odyssey.
T here are numerous translations of the Ramayana available in English.
Another easily available abridged version in verse is by William Buck. The most scholarly, and complete, English translation of the Ramayana, is the multi-volume version by Robert Goldman, Sheldon Pollock, and others, published by Princeton University Press.