Gender And Narrative In The Mahabharata

The Sanskrit Mahabharata is one of the most important texts to emerge from the Indian cultural tradition. At almost 75,000 verses it is the longest poem in the world, and throughout Indian history it has been hugely influential in shaping gender and social norms. In the context of ancient India, it is the definitive cultural narrative in the construction of masculine, feminine and alternative gender roles. This book brings together many of the most respected scholars in the field of Mahabharata studies, as well as some of its most promising young scholars. By focusing specifically on gender constructions, some of the most innovative aspects of the Mahabharata are highlighted. Whilst taking account of feminist scholarship, the contributors see the Mahabharata as providing an opportunity to frame discussion of gender in literature not just in terms of the socio-historical roles of men and women. Instead they analyze the text in terms of the wider poetic and philosophical possibilities thrown up by the semiotics of gendering. Consequently, the book bridges a gap in text-critical methodology between the traditional philological approach and more recent trends in gender and literary theory. Gender and Narrative in the Mahabharata will be appreciated by readers interested in South Asian studies, Hinduism, religious studies and gender studies. Review: This is a most useful and interesting book. The contributors are just the people one wants to hear from on this topic, a good mix of the established authorities in the field (particularly Hiltebeitel and Fitzgerald, the sometimes warring giants of Mahabharata studies) as well as other very good, well known and proven authors, and some very talented Bright Young People. The essays bring genuinely new insights to the major gender issues in the Mahabharata and the major approaches that have been applied to them, from classical philology to contemporary queer theory, including psychoanalysis and subaltern studies. - Wendy Doniger, Director of the Martin Marty Center and Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions in the Divinity School, University of Chicago, USA 'This volume is just one of the many indications of the burgeoning health of epic studies in Indology today, and it is a welcome addition to this literature' - Stephanie W. Jamison, University of California, Los Angeles, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 128.2 (2008) While discussing the many and diverse gendered voices and performances within the great Hindu epic, the specific focus of the book on gender as a cultural category embedded in narrative, sheds new light on previously untouched aspects of Mahabharata studies. - Fabrizio M. Ferrari, University of Chester, South Asia Research Vol. 30 (2): 197-209