Indian Kavya Literature Vol. 2: Origins and Formation of the Classical Kavya

It is multi-volume series work. The main pupose of this work is literary

criticism, evaluating a great tradition of literature and to present

comprehensive study of sanskrit literature. So far 6 volumes have been

published. Each volume presents literature itself in successive periods of

its development.

This second volume in the series on Kavya Literature begins the description

of the literature itself. The most original feature of the present study,

as compared with other books in English on Indian literature, is that the

literature is presented and discussed from the point of view of the Indian

tradition itself. The author has first presented the literature from within

the Indian tradition, then he has given discussions on the kavyas

presented, from the old Indian critics, finally crooss-references are

inserted in square brackets to the relevant paragraphs of Volume I. The

discussions of the old critics become more frequent and intensive in the

later chapters of this volume (especially Chapter XVI), reflecting their

tastes and the gradual establishment of classical standards.

Among the classics discussed in this volume are the Ramayana, the great

novel Brhatkatha of Gunadhya, the epics of Asvaghosa, the lyric anthology

of Satavahana and the plays of Bhasa.

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