Description
Book SynopsisThough the biblical and the Indian literary traditions had independent origin and growth in terms of spatial and cultural milieux, there are literary landscapes of confluence where the literary fabrics of their collective wisdom are interwoven. Both narrative traditions have rich oral and folk prehistoric traditions in their records and this attribute provides a substratum where their narrative patterns and paradigms can find a common ground. A Hebraic reading of the Bible does not exhaust the meaning of the biblical texts; on the other hand, an Indian reading of the Bible could bring more flesh and blood to the living text. Ancient Indian Kavya Sastra (Poetics) and its modern rendering narratology being multifarious and mutually integrative will be able to supply a variety of poetical tools and devices with which the great and vast miscellany of biblical narrative can be approached and appreciated. Indian religious tradition is more narrative/story rather than doctrinal or dogmatic
Trade Review
«I really found G. Ayyaneth’s insights helpful and very full of interesting suggestions for further reflection. It fits closely with my background in literary criticism and theory, and does in fact seem to open up interesting new vistas, not only for Indians but for all of us in reading the Bible. One of the most stimulating and original things I have found in quite a while.» (David Fleming, S.M., University of Dayton, Ohio, USA)
«Whoever has seen films produced in India will know that the narration is sometimes interrupted by dancing and singing. This phenomenon resembles the way the Books of Samuel are interwoven with poems or songs such as the song of Hannah or the last words of David. Western narratology is heavily influenced by Aristotle’s Poetics. However there were stories being told before the lifetime of this Greek philosopher and outside his European culture. G. Ayyaneth presents the rich Indian literary theory and shows convincingly that it offers an interpretative key for the juxtaposition of storytelling and singing in the Hebrew Bible.» (Hans Ulrich Steymans, O.P., Professor (OT) and Dean of the Faculty of Theology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland)
Table of Contents
List of Figures – Series Editor’s Preface – Foreword by Prof. Dr. Philippe Lefebvre O. P. – Acknowledgments – List of Abbreviations and Acronyms – Introduction – The Point of Departure for an Indian Approach to Biblical Narrative – Locating Ancient Indian Kāvya Śāstra and Modern Western Narratology – Locating Ancient Indian Kāvya Śāstra and Modern Western Narratology – The Compositional Coherence of the Books of Samuel on the Framework of the Four-S Model – The Basic Models of the Indian Narrative Paradigm towards the Appreciation of the Davidic Episode – The Main Features of Indian Narratology towards the Appreciation of the Davidic Episode – Three Classical Theories of Kāvya Śāstra towards the Appreciation of the Davidic Episode – Conclusion – Glossary of Sanskrit Words – Notes – Bibliography – Index – Biblical Index – Author Index.
