Author: Sudhir Kakar
J M Ross/
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 272
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0-19-807256-2
Description
This book discusses the complexities of love and the nature of erotic passion as these appear in the great love stories of the world.
Starting with the story of Romeo and Juliet and its roots in European Christianity, the authors uncover hidden depths of cultural and universal significance in famous romantic tales of the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent-‘Layla and Majnun’, ‘Heer and Ranjha’, ‘Sohni and Mahinwal’, ‘Vis and Ramin’, and ‘Radha and Krishna’.
Moving westward again, Kakar and Ross look at the Greek myth of Oedipus, the Celtic saga of Tristan and Isolde, the tragic drama of Hamlet, the legend of Phaedra and Hippolytus, and a contemporary handling of the love theme in the writings of Vladimir Nabokov.
This new edition, published after 25 years of the first edition, includes an Epilogue which re-evaluates the authors’ assertions about romantic and erotic love in the context of contemporary psychoanalysis and modern literary theory.
COMMENTS:
‘Informative, thought-provoking and unpardonable’.
— KHUSHWANT SINGH, India Today
‘Succeeds in lighting up its subject with intelligence and tact’.
—JOHN GROSS, The New York Times
‘Indispensable to our understanding of Indian Men and Women.’
— The Hindu
‘Each chapter is worthy of much discussion and deliberation… hard to put down.’
— Sunday
‘From ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Layla and Majnun’, and ‘Sohni and Mahinwal’ to the Greek Myth of Oedipus, the Twelfth-century saga of Tristan and Isolde, the tragic drama of Hamlet, and the Writings of Vladimir Nabokov – This book has profoundly influenced the way we teel, think, and understand love’s many mysteries. A riveting read, it will appeal to readersof aall hues, including students and scholars of social psychology, cultural studies, literature, and sociology.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I – Pure Cultures of Love
1. The Amorous Death of Romeo and Juliet
2. Love in the Middle Eastern World – Layla and Majnun
3. The Cloistered Passion of Radha and Krishna
Part II – Eros Adulterated
4. Kings and Cuckolds – Passion as Power
5. The Conscience of the King
6. Mother Love – When Desire Becomes Reality
Part II – Love theory and Love Story
7. The Phenomenology of Passionate Love
8. The Ontogeny of Love
Epilogue – 25 Years Later
