and diverse area, written in dozens of languages. Famous works originating from India include poetry, scriptures, novels, and epics, all of which were originally written in different languages, ranging from ancient Sanskrit, Hindi, English, and many more regional dialects. The two most notable Hindu epics, Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are the most well known throughout the country of India. ("India's Epics, Ancient & Modern.") These two stories, which bear great similarities to Western works such
Post Midnight’s Children Indian novel in English has attained a respectable position throughout the world. Post God of Small Things the number of women novelists from India have increased. However, the literary scene occupied by their male counterparts is quite different. Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, Upmanyu Chatterjee to name a prominent few focus on the issues that lie ‘externally’. The women novelists have restricted themselves mostly to the ‘interior’ of the body or house they live in and their
The Mahābhārata, a major epic of ancient India written in the early script Sanskrit, entertains and enlightens millions about morality and salvation. As an early existing piece of writing, those who read this epic in the present find a plentiful number of archetypes, illustrating the legendary qualities the story holds. A number of archetypes in The Mahābhārata and many stories through time prove vital to relating to the human experience. A reoccurring symbol or theme in literature, art and
America’s Personal Values Compared Great Indian authors have written grand epics that depict heroic characters performing virtuous deeds. Many of these epic tales feature fearsome and godly battles, while others highlight the soft side of human emotions. Despite seemingly unrealistic characters such as talking hawks and ten-headed monsters, and unlikely conflicts that feature bloody battles, many of these grand epics display many traditional values that Americans value in modern society. When construing
The Ramayana is the most famous and well-known of all Indian epics, originally based on an epic poem it has taken many variations and forms over the centuries. Traditionally the story centers on the hero Prince Rama, who is the embodiment of virtue and perseverance, as he is wrongfully denied his birthright of being crowned king and instead is unjustly exiled into the forest where he encounters his fair share of dilemma. In R. K. Narayan’s condensed, modern version of The Ramayana the classic conflict
providing a modern twist to Kalidasa’s version (300-400 CE). Nawāz Kaveṡvara retold the drama in the vernacular, as a mixture between the Mahabharata version and the Kalidasa version, and in a manner that incorporated the prevailing style of the local poetry. Individuals such as Kaveṡvara would prevent Śakuntalā from fading away into the distant past, by once again making it a part of the present. In 1716, a nobleman, after returning from a successful campaign, asked a well-known poet of the period
are examples of epic poetry. These epics consist of heroic adventurous tales that have contested time and have been around long enough to aspire many readers and writers. Two literary works that demonstrate the attributes and qualities of an epic is, The Ramayana and The Odyssey. Through the adventures of the protagonist we learn the traditions of the ancient world and its culture. Many themes are shared between both epics. However, the theme that stood out the most in these epic, was the influence
One of the most striking relationships throughout the entire Rāmāyaṇa is that between India's epic hero Rāma and his half-brother Lakṣmaṇa. What is interesting about this affair is Lakṣmaṇa's pure fidelity toward his brother and all his goals. While Rāma is the king on leave throughout most of the Hindu epic, Lakṣmaṇa acts more or less as his royal servant and bodyguard of his most prized possession, that being Rāma's wife, Sītā. Interestingly enough, Lakṣmaṇa is very much an intelligent being
a simple adventure story within the historical frame of the French and Indian war. Only if we analyze the novel in a closer way, we will realize that it goes beyond this label and that its sources are many and varied, giving the work the richness of the genres on which Cooper's novel is based. These are romanticism, western, (being its author one of the forerunners of these genres in the U.S.A.), captivity narratives and epic. In works belonging to Romanticism, nature is given a great important
seem as if it is the only thing that matters, and in the next it is trivial. If reality sets in, the event can pass, or a trivial grudge is held without end. In The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope makes light of such a situation. Using mock-epic poetry, Pope is able to use contrasting situations to show the insignificance of some events (Brown 4). Alexander Pope writes The Rape of the Lock during the 18th century as science and reality are emerging. Self perception is changing, and imaginative
Have you ever wondered how we as a society and generation have come to know so much? We have so much knowledge not because of ourselves but by wisdom and knowledge passed down by generations. We learn very important values about life by the history of this world and by people. Values are considered a guiding principle or standard of conduct such as honesty or loyalty or responsibility for others welfare (Null). The values that have been passed down to us shape and make us into the people we are today
of the man who composed the Iliad and the Odyssey. The details are few. We do not even know the century in which he lived, and it is difficult to say with absolute certainty that the same poet composed both works. The Greeks attributed both of the epics to the same man, and we have little hard evidence that would make us doubt the ancient authorities, but uncertainty is a constant feature of scholarly work dealing with Homer's era of Greek history. The Greeks hailed him as their greatest poet,
Use of the Mock-epic Style in The Rape of the Lock "The triumph of the Baron's rape is in exactly the same high language as it would be if he were Hector." In The Rape of the Lock, Pope uses the mock-epic style to satirise the seriousness with which a trivial misdemeanour (the theft of a few strands of hair) and the ways of gender polarised society can be blown beyond all sense of proportion. Thus the male mentality, through the Baron, is portrayed as lacking depth or personality beyond that
Comparing the Epic of Gilgamesh, Hesiod's Theogony, and Ovid's Metamorphoses There are many parallels between the Epic of Gilgamesh, Hesiod's Theogony, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. The first similarity is immediately apparent: structure. We can view the structure of the Gilgamesh story as three concentric circles: a story within a story within a story. In the outer circle, a narrator prepares the audience for the primary narrative, contained within the second circle: the tale of Gilgamesh's adventures
Gilgamesh and King Arthur The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to The Legend of King Arthur. Although Gilgamesh and King Arthur have comparison they also have differences. The main difference is that one is an Epic and the other is a Legend. To compare and contrast The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Legend of King Arthor, one must first know what the words, "Epic" and "Legend" mean. Primarily, "epic" is a long narrative poem about the deeds of a semi-god, also known as a superhuman hero who's
Chaucer's "The House of Fame": The Cultural Nature of Fame QUESTION 7. DISCUSS THE CULTURAL NATURE OF FAME AND ITS TEXTUAL EXPRESSION WITH REFERENCE TO ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: ORAL HEROIC POETRY, CHAUCER'S DEPICTION IN THE HOUSE OF FAME AND THE MODERN CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANON OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. YOU SHOULD FOCUS YOUR ANALYSIS ON THE INTERPLAY OF ORAL AND LITERARY TRADITIONS IN THESE CONTEXTS. Many critics have noted the complexities within Chaucer's The House of Fame, in particular
The epic poem, Beowulf, is one of the oldest European epics in existence. When Beowulf was written, the writer incorporated many of the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons. Some of these ideals included loyalty, bravery, selflessness, and justice and were demonstrated in the hero. Both the characters Beowulf and Grendel represent aspects of both good and evil, Christianity and Paganism, and what occurs when they collide with one another. A characteristic of an epic poem is the concern over struggles that
was fated according to their beliefs to accomplish certain things in his life. Some of these things being to be slaying of great monsters and winning of great wars. And thus that is what he did as he progressed through life. The epic is rather brief in terms of what an epic normally is, but, in this time he manages to travel to a distant land, and slay a monster that has taken over that land, and then after that feat he of course makes that monsters mother mad, you know you can do something to someone
Anglo-Saxon Ideal Code of Conduct The epic poem of “Beowulf” presents the characteristics of two heroes, Beowulf and Hrothgar. During this Anglo-Saxon time period, Hrothgar rules as the king of his Danish lands. However, this king faces many problems due to the disturbances of a monster known as Grendel. As an Anglo-Saxon warrior of the time, Beowulf hears of this creature and journeys through the hero's path to kill Grendel. Through this journey, Hrothgar and Beowulf reconstruct the code
function to amplify, enhance, or characterize the hero. Although the epithet “wily Odysseus” serves a descriptive purpose, it also serves other purposes as well. Actually, this epithet also amplifies an important characteristic of this hero in each epic. Odysseus was known throughout the ancient world for his cunning, and this comes into play quite often in both The Iliad and The Odyssey, as he demonstrated in devising the scheme of the Trojan Horse. Just as the Greeks’ cause seemed utterly hopeless