Goddess as Role Model

Pauwels, Heidi Rika Maria:
The goddess as role model : Sītā and Rādhā in scripture and on the screen / Heidi R. M. Pauwels. - New York : Oxford University Press, 2008. - xvi, 558 S.
ISBN 978-0-19-536990-8 / 0-19-536990-4
US$ 74,00

Beschreibung
This book seeks to understand the major mythological role models that mark the moral landscape navigated by young Hindu women. Traditionally, the goddess Sita, faithful consort of the god Rama, is regarded as the most important positive role model for women. The case of Radha, who is mostly portrayed as a clandestine lover of the god Krishna, seems to challenge some of the norms the example of Sita has set. That these role models are just as relevant today as they have been in the past is witnessed by the popularity of the televised versions of their stories, and the many allusions to them in popular culture.
   Taking the case of Sita as main point of reference, but comparing throughout with Radha, Pauwels studies the messages sent to Hindu women at different points in time. She compares how these role models are portrayed in the most authoritative versions of the story. She traces the ancient, Sanskrit sources, the medieval vernacular retellings of the stories and the contemporary TV versions as well.
   This comparative analysis identifies some surprising conclusions about the messages sent to Indian women today, which belie the expectations one might have of the portrayals in the latest, more liberal versions. The newer messages turn out to be more conservative in many subtle ways. Significantly, it does not remain limited to the religious domain. By analyzing several popular recent and classical hit movies that use Sita and Radha tropes, Pauwels shows how these moral messages spill into the domain of popular culture for commercial consumption. [Verlagsinformation]

Inhalt
Abbreviations. xv
A note on translation and transliteration. xvii
Introduction: Sītā and Rādhā, role models for women? 3
PART 1: GETTING A LOVE MARRIAGE ARRANGED
1. Falling in love: Sītā in the flower garden and Rādhā in the forest. 49
2. Arranging a love marriage: Sītā's "Self-Choice" and Rukmiṇī's elopement. 95
3. Wedding promises: Sītā's wedding and Rādhā's mock wedding. 163
PART 2: THE CHALLENGES OF MARRIED LIFE
4. In good days and bad days: Sītā and Rādhā leave Purdah to follow their men. 243
5. The threat of the other woman: free-spirited Śūrpaṇakhā and sophisticated Kubjā. 313
6. Sexual harassment: Sītā abducted and Rādhā accosted at the well. 379
Conclusion: Approaching Sītā. 497
References. 525
Index. 544

Autorin
HEIDI R. M. PAUWELS is Associate Professor in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington in Seattle. She teaches both Modern and Old Hindi language and literature, and courses on Hinduism. Her publications include two monographs on sixteenth-century bhakti: Krsna's round dance reconsidered: Hariram Vyas's Hindi Ras-pancadhyayi (1996) and In praise of holy men: Hagiographic poems by and about Hariram Vyas (2002) and various articles in scholarly journals and conference proceedings, including comparisons of medieval and contemporary film and television retellings of the stories of Krishna and Rama. Faculty profile.

Quellen: Oxford University Press (USA); Lehmanns Online Bookshop; Amazon; WorldCat.
Schlagwörter: Hinduismus; Sita; Radha; Gender studies; Heirat; Sozialwesen

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[07.11.2008] Indian Literature and Popular Cinema