from Jaina Citra Kalpadruma, plate 36

course description

This is a chronological survey of South Asia’s literary traditions, focusing on the first millennium CE. We will read a variety of literary works in translation from Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tamil, and Javanese: lyric poetry, stage plays, courtly epics, romances and satires. We will read these texts as representing both social imaginaties and evolving traditions of literary art. Our conversations will thus range over: questions of language, genre, form and style; subcontinental traditions of poetics, which elaborated the themes and techniques of literary art; issues of sexuality and gender; the intellectual and religious traditions with which works of literature were in conversation; contexts of performance; and issues of literary history. no prior knowledge of South Asian languages is required.

Format

This class meets twice a week. Typically we will cover one topic in a week, although sometimes we will cram two into a week. Everyone will have to do all of the primary readings. On the schedule below, I have generally broken the readings down into those you will need to do for Tuesday, and those you will need to do for Thursday. A typical week will run as follows: on Tuesday, I will present the texts, authors, genres, etc. on the plate this week, and then we will discuss the readings as a class; on Thursday, one of you will lead us in a discussion of the suggested readings, and then we will continue our discussions. To help guide our discussions, I will ask all of you to post a short reflection (see below) on the readings once a week.

All of the readings for the course are available online from the associated Canvas website. [You will need to be logged in and registered for the course to access the readings.] The readings are divided into “required” and “suggested,” although each of you will be required to read some of the suggested readings. The readings are all in English, and you do not need to know Sanskrit, Prakrit, or Tamil to participate. That said, if you have some background in the languages, we can adjust our discussions accordingly. The original text has been provided for some of the readings; I can provide it for other readings upon request.

Assignments

Besides preparing the readings, you will be responsible for the following:

  1. Reflections: Each week, you should post a short reflection (say, between 400 and 800 words) on the readings for the week on Canvas. You should post it before Tuesday’s class (by 9:30am). Here are some suggests for your reflections:
    • Something I find particularly effective, or ineffective, or arresting, or disturbing, is...
    • Something I noticed on reading this poem for the second, or third, or fourth time is...
    • Something I don’t understand about this reading is...
    • Something that this reading strongly reminded me of was...
    • This reading is a particularly good example of...
    • This reading challenges the following claim, association, hypothesis, etc...
  2. Presentations: You will notice that there are “suggested readings” for each week. At the beginning of the course, you will pick two readings that you would like to present in class. I will review everyone’s selections and draw up a schedule of presentations for the quarter. In this presentation, you will give us an overview of the main points of the paper (please feel free to bring a handout or slides), raise a couple of questions, and then lead the class in a discussion. We will try to distribute these presentations evenly throughout the term. It may be possible, and useful, to do joint presentations. If you would really like to present on a topic that isn’t covered in the class, or in the suggested readings, please talk to me.
  3. Final essay: You will pick a topic, in consultation with me, by week 6. I will hand out possible paper topics before this, but you should feel free to choose your own. I will ask for a first draft in week 8, which I will comment upon and return to you. [The draft really is due in week 8. I will take off one-third of a letter grade for each day that the draft is late.] The final version will be due by the end of week 10. The final paper should be at least double-spaced 8 pages (approximately 2,000 words). There are no extensions. (Any graduate students taking the class should write a longer [15–20] page paper.) [I will take off one-third of a letter day for each day the paper is late.]
Grades
  1. Active and enthusiastic participation: 40%
    • Reflections: 18% (9 weeks)
    • Discussion: 22%
  2. In-class presentations: 30%
    • The minimum is two, but you can do more if you want. Additional presentations can only help your grade.
  3. Final assignment: 30%
Policies

COVID-19 is still a concern. Everyone will be expected to comply with the University’s Health Pact, including wearing a mask that covers your mouth and nose at all times. We may have to move our classes online for short periods. Please check your Canvas messages regularly. If you are ill or are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, DO NOT COME TO CLASS. Contact Student Wellness for testing, and reach out to your area Dean of Students to request accommodations until:

  • At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and
  • At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery [defined as a negative test, resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, and the improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath)].

If you need to miss class, we can make arrangements for you to attend via Zoom, but you must contact me beforehand.

Use of technology in the classroom: I don’t have a problem with using laptops or tablets in class to consult notes on our readings or to take notes during our discussions. You should obviously not be using your laptop or tablet to do anything that is not directly related to the class. In no case should it prevent you from fully participating in the discussion. You should not be checking or using your phone in class, unless you have a good reason that you’ve told me about (e.g., you’re an EMT and you’re on call).

Absences: If you need to be absent from class (“need” defined as medical or family emergencies or unavoidable conflicts), please let me know ahead of time, and make arrangements with me to make up your work. If you are absent, you are still required to do the assignments (including posting one reflection per week). For every two absences, you will have to complete a short written assignment (1–2 pages) on the material that you have missed. Unannounced absences will impact your participation grade.

Academic integrity: The College’s statement on academic integrity defines plagiarism as “[submitting] the statements or ideas or work of others as one’s own,” and makes clear that the penalties for plagiarism “may range up to permanent expulsion from the University of Chicago.” See the University’s policy here and the College’s statement. For the purposes of this class, I will consider the following to constitute a violation of academic integrity:

  • Cheating on assignments;
  • Passing off the work of others as one’s own (including group work);
  • Using tools or services that are against the spirit of the course.

If you are concerned as to what precisely constitutes plagiarism, please ask me.

Accommodations: The Office of Student Disability Services (disabilities@uchicago.edu, 773-702-6000/TTY 773-795-1186, disabilities.uchicago.edu, located at 5501 S. Ellis Ave.) is the official channel for requesting accommodations. If you already have an Accommodation Determination Letter from that office, please provide it to me as soon as possible. If you have a documented disability, or think you may have a disability, and would benefit from accommodations to participate in class, complete course requirements, or avail yourself of the University’s programs or services, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services. The presence of an accommodation will have no effect on your grade. Disability information, including instructional accommodations as part of a student’s educational record, is confidential and protected under FERPA.

Mental Health: I encourage you to make use of Chicago’s resources for student mental health if it becomes necessary over the course of the quarter.

Inclusivity: The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law (including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972). For additional information regarding the University of Chicago’s Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct, please see the University’s policy.

Name and pronouns: Your name and pronouns should appear on roster that is provided to instructors. Note that students can elect to change their pronouns of reference at my.uchicago.edu. Please feel free to indicate your preferred name and/or pronouns to me in any case.

Dean of students: If you have any other concerns about your ability to participate in class or meet the requirements, please discuss them with me as soon as possible, or get in touch with your Dean of Students.

schedule

week 1

Literary Beginnings [Discussion]

We will find our orientation in South Asian literary traditions by looking at what participants in these traditions themselves understood “literature” to be, including its origins, its defining characteristics, and its parameters.

Note that the discussion question is due before class on Thursday rather than Tuesday.

Read:

  • for Tuesday (9/28): Nothing!
  • for Thursday (9/30):
    • Selections from Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇam (trans. Goldman) [Canvas]
    • Selections from Rājaśēkhara’s Investigation of Literature (Kāvyamīmāṁsā) of Rājaśēkhara (trans. Pollock) [Canvas]
    • Selections from Nakkīraṉār’s urai (commentary) on Iṟaiyaṉār Akapporuḷ (trans. Buck and Paramasivan) [Canvas]

Recommended:

week 2

Early Tamil Poetry [Discussion]

Selections from the Short Collection (Kuṟuntokai) and Four Hundred Outer Poems (Puṟanāṉūṟu)

We turn to some of the earliest poetry available from South Asia: the poems collected into anthologies and attributed to the Tamil “academy” (caṅkam) of the ancient past.

Read:

  • for Tuesday (10/5): The ten poems from the Kuṟuntokai in the selections packet. You will notice that these poems (translated by A. K. Ramanujan, George Hart, and Martha Selby) are followed by a page from Eva Wilden’s critical edition and translation, which contains the Tamil text and a word-by-word gloss. Please feel free to ignore these pages, although we will discuss them in class. Alternatively, feel free to touch on the differences in the translation in your reactions.
  • for Thursday (10/7): The eight poems from the Puṟanāṉūṟu in the selections packet.

Recommended:

week 3

Prakrit Poetry [Discussion]

The Seven Centuries (Sattasaī) by Hāla

We move north, into the Deccan, where we read single-verse poems in Prakrit, collected into an anthology by Hāla.

Read:

  • for Tuesday (10/12):
    • selections from Hāla, Seven Centuries (I have selected 47 poems that were translated by Peter Khoroche and Herman Tieken)
  • for Thursday (10/14): We will continue our discussion of Seven Centuries.

Recommended:

week 4

Buddhist and Jain Stories [Discussion]

Stories of the Buddha’s Past Lives (Jātakamālā) by Haribhaṭṭa and Kuvalayamālā (Kuvalayamālā) by Uddyōtana

We will look at one collection of stories, in Sanskrit, about the Buddha’s past lives (or jātakas), by Haribhaṭṭa, as well as a much longer story (arguably a “novel”) by the Jain monk Uddyōtana, which has many other sub-stories. Uddyōtana’s work is composed in Prakrit. Both sets of selections are overt about teaching religious lessons through the stories.

Read

Recommended:

  • Khoroche’s “Introduction” to his translation of Haribhaṭṭa [Canvas]
  • Chojnacki’s “Introduction” to her translation of Uddyōtana [Canvas]
week 5

Sanskrit Poetry (Small) [Discussion]

Selected poems by Bhartr̥hari, Amaru, Bāṇa, Dharmakīrti, Vidyā, and “Bilhaṇa”

Note that I will be adding to this packet very soon. Please check back.

This week will be a “greatest hits” of single-verse poems in Sanskrit, most probably composed in the sixth to eighth centuries CE.

Read:

  • for Tuesday (10/19): Owen and Pollock, “Lyric, Like and Unlike” [Canvas] and the selections on Canvas. [The packet contains translations of the poets Bāṇa, Dharmakīrti, Bhartr̥hari, Amaru, “Bilhaṇa,” and Vidyā, by Daniel H. H. Ingalls, Barbara Stoler Miller, John Brough, and myself.]
  • for Thursday (10/21): We will continue reading the selections from Tuesday.

Recommended:

week 6

The Tamil Epic [Discussion]

The Tale of an Anklet (Cilappatikāram) by Ilaṅkō Aṭikaḷ

We will be reading most of the text (excluding the final Book of Vañci) in R. Parthasarathy’s 1993 translation. Please note that Parthasarathy’s introduction and glossary are available as well; his long postscript is also a recommended reading for this week.

Read:

Recommended:

week 7

The Stage-Play (Nāṭakam) [Discussion]

Rāma’s Last Act (Uttararāmacaritam) by Bhavabhūti

We will read Bhavabhūti’s play in its entirety. Please consult the slides prior to reading the text. The suggested readings below will also help to contextualize the play.

Read:

  • for Tuesday (11/9): Bhavabhūti, Rāma’s Last Act, Acts I, II, and III (Pollock trans. pp. 64–231)
  • for Thursday (11/11): Acts IV, V, VI, and VII (Pollock trans. pp. 233–389)

Recommended:

week 8

Sanskrit [and Javanese] Poetry (Large) [Discussion]

Selections from The Dynasty of Raghu (Raghuvaṁśaḥ) by Kālidāsa and Death by a Flower (Sumanasāntaka) by Mpu Mōnaguṇa

This week we look at a genre called the “great poem” (mahākāvyam), with specimens in both Sanskrit and Javanese.

Read:

  • for Tuesday (11/16): Kālidāsa, The Dynasty of Raghu, cantos 5–8 (Haksar trans. pp. 75–145)
  • for Thursday (11/18): Mpu Mōnaguṇa, Death by a Flower, 102.2–110.2 (pp. 276–289), 127.1–130.3 (pp. 318–323), 164.1–170.17 (pp. 406–423) (Worsley and Supomo translation)

Recommended:

week 9

The Sanskrit Novel [Discussion]

What Ten Young Men Did (Daśakumāracaritam) by Daṇḍin

Note that the notes and glossary of Isabelle Onians’ translation are also available.

Read:

Recommended:

bibliography

primary texts

(In order of assignment)

  • Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki (ca. 1st c. BCE?):
    • Robert P. Goldman (trans.). 1990. The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India. Volume I: Bālakāṇḍa. Princeton: Princeton University Press. [Selections available on Canvas.]
  • Investigation of Literature (Kāvyamīmāṁsā) of Rājaśēkhara (9th/10th c. CE):
    • Sheldon Pollock. 2006. “Appendix A” to Language of the Gods in the World of Men. Berkeley: University of California Press. [Selections available on Canvas.]
  • On the theme of love (Iṟaiyaṉār Akapporuḷ) with Nakkīraṉār’s commentary (6th c. CE?):
    • David Buck and K. Paramasivam (trans.). 1997. The Study of Stolen Love: A Translation of Kaḷaviyal eṉṟa Iṟaiyaṉār Akapporuḷ with Commentary by Nakkīraṉ. Atlanta: Scholars Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • The Short Collection (Kuṟuntokai): The packet on Canvas contains excerpts from the following books:
    • A. K. Ramanujan (trans.). 1975 [1967]. The Interior Landscape: Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
    • Shulman, David. 2016. Tamil: A Biography. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
    • Selby, Martha Ann. 2000. Grow Long, Blessed Night: Love Poems from Classical India. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    • Tharu, Susie and K. Lalita. 1991. Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present. Volume I: 600 B.C. to the Early 20th Century. New York: The Feminist Press.
    • Wilden, Eva. 2010. குறுந்தொகை. A Critical Edition and an Annotated Translation of the Kuṟuntokai. Pondicherry: École française d’extrême-orient.
  • Four Hundred Outer Poems (Puṟanāṉūru):
    • George Hart and Hank Heifetz. 1999. The Four Hundred Songs of War and Wisdom. New York: Columbia University Press. [Selections are available in the packet on Canvas.]
  • The Nāsik Inscription of Gautamī Balaśrī (ca. 103 CE): See Senart 1905.
  • The Seven Centuries (Sattasaī) of Hāla (ca. 2nd c. CE):
    • Peter Khoroche and Herman Tieken (trans.). 2009. Poems on Life and Love in Ancient India: Hāla’s Sattasaī. Albany: State University of New York Press. [A selection of 47 verses, together with the original Prakrit text, is available on Canvas.]
  • Stories of the Buddha’s Past Lives (Jātakamālā) of Haribhaṭṭa (4th/5th c. CE):
  • Kuvalayamālā (Kuvalayamālā) of Uddyōtana (779 CE):
  • The Tale of an Anklet (Cilappatikāram) of Iḷaṅkō Aṭikaḷ (6th c. CE?):
  • Rāma’s Last Act (Uttararāmacaritam) of Bhavabhūti (8th c. CE):
    • Sheldon Pollock (trans.). 2007. Rama’s Last Act. New York: New York University Press. Clay Sanskrit Library. [Available on Canvas.]
  • The Dynasty of Raghu (Raghuvaṁśaḥ) of Kālidāsa (4th c. CE):
    • A. N. D. Haksar (trans). 2016. Raghuvamsam: The Line of Raghu. New Delhi: Penguin. [Cantos 5–8 are available on Canvas.]
    • M. R. Kale (ed.). 1922. The Raghuvamśa of Kálidása. Bombay: Gopal Narayen. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Death by a Flower (Sumanasāntaka) of Mpu Mōnaguṇa (1204 CE):
    • Peter Worsley, S. Supomo, Thomas Hunter, and Margaret Fletcher (trans.). 2013. Mpu Monaguṇa’s Sumanasāntaka. Leiden: Brill. [Selections available on Canvas.]
  • What Ten Young Men Did (Daśakumāracaritam) of Daṇḍin (ca. 700 CE):

secondary sources

Histories and surveys
  • Lienhard, Siegfried. 1984. A History of Classical Poetry: Sanskrit – Pali – Prakrit. Vol. III. fasc. I in Jan Gonda (ed.), A History of Indian Literature. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
  • Zvelebil, Kamil. 1974. Tamil Literature. Vol. X. fasc. I in Jan Gonda (ed.), A History of Indian Literature. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. [At the Regenstein Library.]
  • Warder, A. K. Indian Kāvya Literature. In seven volumes, all published by Motilal Banarsidass in Delhi:
    • Volume 1: Literary Criticism. 1972.
    • Volume 2: Origins and Formation of the Classical Kāvya. 1974.
    • Volume 3: The Early Medieval Period (Śūdraka to Viśākhadatta). 1977.
    • Volume 4: The Ways of Originality (Bāṇa to Dāmōdaragupta). 1994 (reprint).
    • Volume 5: The Bold Style (Śaktibhadra to Dhanapāla). 1988.
    • Volume 6: The Art of Storytelling. 1992.
    • Volume 7: The Wheel of Time (in two parts). 2004.
    • Volume 8: The Performance of Kāvyain the +14 . 2011.
  • Winternitz, Moriz. History of Indian Literature. In three volumes:
    • Volume I: Introduction, Veda, National Epics, Purāṇas, and Tantras. 1927. Translated by S. Ketkar. Calcutta [Kolkata]: University of Calcutta. [Available from Internet Archive.]
    • Volume II: Buddhist Literature and Jaina Literature. 1933. Translated by S. Ketkar and H. Kohn. Calcutta [Kolkata]: University of Calcutta. [Available from Internet Archive.]
    • Volume III: Part One: Classical Sanskrit Literature, Part Two: Scientific Literature. 1985. Translated by Subhadra Jha. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. [Available from Internet Archive.]
  • De, S. K. 1947. A History of Sanskrit Literature (Prose, Poetry and Drama). Calcutta [Kolkata]: University of Calcutta. [Available on Internet Archive; this is also the second book of a History of Sanskrit Literature (Classical Period), edited by S. N. Dasgupta.]
  • Keith, Arthur B. 1956 [1920]. A History of Sanskrit Literature. London: Oxford University Press. [Available on Internet Archive.]
Essays and monographs
  • Brough, John. 1968. “Introduction.” In Poems from the Sanskrit, 11–49. London: Penguin. [Available on Canvas; the entire book is available on Internet Archive.].
  • Cutler, Norman. 2003. “Three Moments in Tamil Literary Culture.” In Sheldon Pollock (ed.), Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia, 271–322. Berkeley: University of California Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Gray, J. E. B. 1992. “The Daśakumāracarita as Picaresque.” In Christopher Shackle and Rupert Snell (eds.), The Indian Narrative: Perspectives and Patterns, 61–79. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Ingalls, Daniel H. H. “Kālidāsa and the Attitudes of the Golden Age.” [Available on Canvas.]
  • Kosambi, D. D. 2009 [1941]. “On the Quality of Renunciation in Bhartṛhari’s Poetry.” In Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya (ed.), The Oxford India Kosambi, 703–720. Originally published in the Fergusson and Willingdon College Magazine in 1941. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Masson, Jeffrey Moussaieff. 1977. “Introduction” to Sanskrit Love Poetry. New York: Columbia University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Ollett, Andrew. 2018. “How to Read the Gāhāsattasaī.” Talk given at the Sahitya Akademi, Bangalore, Sept. 2018. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Owen, Steven and Sheldon Pollock. 2018. “Lyric, Like and Unlike.” In Sheldon Pollock and Benjamin Elman (eds.), What India and China Once Were, 167–172. New York: Columbia University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Pollock, Sheldon. 2003. “Sanskrit Literary Culture from the Inside Out.” In Sheldon Pollock (ed.), Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia, 39–130. Berkeley: University of California Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Ramanujan, A. K. 1975 [1967]. “Afterword.” In The Interior Landscape: Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology, 97–115. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Ramanujan, A. K. 1999 [1989]. “On Translating a Tamil Poem.” In The Collected Essays of A. K. Ramanujan, pp. 219–231. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Originally published in Rosanna Warren (ed.), The Art of Translation, Boston: Northeastern University Press.] [Available on Canvas.]
  • Peterson, Indira. 2003. “The Poetics of the Mahākāvya.” In Design and Rhetoric in a Sanskrit Court Epic: The Kirātārjunīya of Bhāravi, 7–20. Albany: State University of New York Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Selby, Martha Ann. 2000. “Reading the Prakrit Gāthās.” In Grow Long, Blessed Night: Love Poems from Classical India, pp. 81–98. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Senart, Émile. 1905–1905. “The inscriptions in the caves at Nâsik.” Epigraphia Indica 8: 59–96. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Shulman, David. 2001. “Bhavabhūti on Cruelty and Compassion.” In Paula Richman (ed.), Questioning Rāmāyaṇas: A South Asian Tradition, 49–82. Berkeley: University of California Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Shulman, David. 2014. “Waking Aja.” In Yigal Bronner, David Shulman, and Gary Tubb (eds.), Innovations and Turning Points: Toward a History of Kāvya Literature, 34–70. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Shulman, David. 2016. “First Budding.” In Tamil: A Biography, 33–106. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Tubb, Gary. 2014. “On the Boldness of Bāṇa.” Yigal Bronner, David Shulman, and Gary Tubb (eds.), Innovation and Turning Points: Toward a History of Kāvya Literature, 308–354. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Tubb, Gary. 2014. “The Plays of Bhavabhūti.” In Yigal Bronner, David Shulman, and Gary Tubb (eds.), Innovation and Turning Points: Toward a History of Kāvya Literature, 395–414. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Warder, Anthony Kennedy. 1999 [1975]. “Classical Literature.” In A. L. Basham (ed.), A Cultural History of India, 170–196. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. [Available on Canvas.]
  • Zoetmulder, P. J. 1974. Kalangwan: A Survey of Old Javanese Literature. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
  • Zydenbos, Robert. 1987. “The Jaina Nun Kavunti.” Bulletin d’études indiennes 5: 387–417. [Available on Canvas.]

pronunciation

See the separate pronunciation guide if you are unfamiliar with the pronunciation of names and titles in South Asian languages.

maps

See this page for maps related to this course.