Sakuntala Texts Readings Histories

Sakuntala Texts Readings Histories

This books attempts to explore some of the links between culture, history and gender, and between literature and history, through reading variant versions of the narrative of Sakuntala. These include the stories in the Mahabharata, the play by Kalidasa, and the 18^th century Katha in Braj. The transformation of Sakuntala from an autonomous assertive figure in the Mahabharata, to the quintessential submissive woman in the Kalidasa version, is carefully examined by the author through a fascinating reading of the texts and translations of the play in India and Europe.