Asian Studies 252 - Stories & Storytelling

India is a treasure-house of tales, and the home of vibrant traditions of oral and written storytelling in classical Sanskrit and in modern languages. Indian tales have travelled around the world and have parallels and versions in The Arabian Nights, Decameron, and Canterbury Tales. Indian epics and myths are related to those of the Greeks. We will study the epic Ramayana, myths of Hindu gods, animal fables (Panchatantra), women's stories, and folktales in various forms, puppet plays, song, and dramatic performance. We will examine who tells stories, why and when, and compare Indian stories with tales from elsewhere, e.g., Aesop, Grimm, Homer.