World Literatures 214 - Moonlit Lovers and Bloodstained Kings: Premodern Indian Literature
Premodern Indian Lit
Spring
2025
01
4.00
Sophia Nasti
M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
Smith College
WLT-214-01-202503
Seelye 202
snasti@smith.edu
Lovers meet in a moonlit grove, away from prying eyes. Kings dripping with blood loom over battlefields strewn with fallen enemies. Narratives full of intrigue and pathos abound in the premodern literatures of India and in this class students become sahṛdayas (“those with heart”)— sensitive readers and connoisseurs of these compelling tales. The course uses Indian literary and poetic theory to build a critical toolbox to analyze readings. Primary sources range from the fifth century BCE until the sixteenth century CE in a variety of India’s languages including Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Rajasthani. Though the focus is on premodern materials, the course explores these texts’ enduring legacies in contemporary art, culture, and politics. (E)