Hidden paradigms comparing epic themes, characters, and plot structures : a south Indian folk legend viewed through many lenses / Brenda E.F. Beck.
| Author/creator | Beck, Brenda E. F. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Publication Info | Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, [2023] |
| Description | vi, 470 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from eBooks on EBSCOhost |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Summarizing an Epic Legend: The Legend of Ponnivala Nadu -- Character and Plot Structures: The Mahabharata -- Human Life as a Balancing Act: The Epic of Gilgamesh -- Seven Great Phases of History: The Bible's Old and New Testament Stories -- Landscapes and Identity Formation: The Vatnsdaela Saga -- Human versus Extra-Human Powers: The Nanabush Story Cycle -- Splitting, Replicating, and Twinning of Gods and Animals -- The Story Told by the Stars: Babylonian Star-Lore and the Hindu Nakshatras -- The Shining Lotus Plant: A Visual Approach to Finding Hidden Paradigms -- The Monsoon Rains: Filling a Lotus Pond and Nourishing a Golden River. |
| Abstract | "Understanding an epic story's key belief patterns can reveal community-level values, the nature of familial bonds, and how divine and human concerns jockey for power and influence. These foundational motifs remain understudied as they relate to South Asian folk legends, but are nonetheless crucial in shaping the values exemplified by such stories' central heroes and heroines. In Hidden Paradigms, anthropologist Brenda E.F. Beck describes The Legend of Ponnivala, an oral epic from rural South India. Recorded in 1965, this story was sung to a group of village enthusiasts by a respected pair of local bards. This grand legend took more than 38 hours to complete over 18 nights. Bringing this unique example of Tamil culture to the attention of an international audience, Beck compares this virtually unknown South Indian epic to five other culturally significant works--the Ojibwa Nanabush cycle, the Mahabharata, an Icelandic Saga, the Bible, and the Epic of Gilgamesh--establishing this foundational Tamil story as one that engages with the same universal human struggles and themes present throughout the world. Copiously illustrated, Hidden Paradigms provides a fresh example of the power of comparative thinking, offering a humanistic complement to scientific reasoning."-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Other forms | Issued also in electronic format. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2021303628 |
| ISBN | 9781487529338 hardcover |
| ISBN | 1487529333 hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781487529345 paperback |
| ISBN | 1487529341 paperback |
| ISBN | electronic publication |
| ISBN | electronic book |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |