| Kama's Flowers: Nature in Hindi Poetry and Criticism, 1885-1925 Contributor(s): Ritter, Valerie (Author) |
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ISBN: 1438435657 ISBN-13: 9781438435657 Publisher: State University of New York Press OUR PRICE: $90.25 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2011 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Poetry | Asian - General - History | Asia - India & South Asia - History | Modern - 19th Century |
| Dewey: 891.431 |
| LCCN: 2010031949 |
| Series: SUNY Series in Hindu Studies |
| Physical Information: 1.1" H x 6.3" W x 9.1" (1.35 lbs) 340 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Asian - Chronological Period - 19th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Kama's Flowers documents the transformation of Hindi poetry during the crucial period of 1885-1925. As Hindi was becoming a national language and Indian nationalism was emerging, Hindi authors articulated a North Indian version of modernity by reenvisioning nature. While their writing has previously been seen as an imitation of European Romanticism, Valerie Ritter shows its unique and particular function in North India. Description of the natural world recalled traditional poetics, particularly erotic and devotional poetics, but was now used to address sociopolitical concerns, as authors created literature to advocate for a "national character" and to address a growing audience of female readers. Examining Hindi classics, translations from English poetry, literary criticism, and little-known popular works, Ritter combines translations with fresh literary analysis to show the pivotal role of nature in how modernity was understood. Bringing a new body of literature to English-language readers, Kama's Flowers also reveals the origins of an influential visual culture that resonates today in Bollywood cinema. |