The Seasons In Mahakavya Literature

In the present work, Ms. Danielle Feller analyses in detail the theme of season descriptions in traditional Indian poetry, with special emphasis on the six principal Mahakavyas or great works of poetry, as well as on the Valmiki Ramayana. It a is study offering historical details and interpretative paradigms related to season descriptions. In total seventeen season descriptions are analysed critically from the metrical and stylistic points of view, noting the main characteristics which are typical of each one of the six Indian seasons, such as the flora, the fauna, and the natural phenomena. This work includes the contributions of Indian poeticians on this theme and an original translation of chapter 18 of Rajasekhara's Kavyamimamsa, which deals with season descriptions. This book might appeal both to the Sanskritists and the broader public interested in India and her poetry.

About the Author:

Ms. Danielle Feller was born in Switzerland in 1965. She obtained a 'Licence es Lettres' degree with Sanskrit as main subject from Lausanne University (Switzerland) in 1990. Presently she is living in India, working for her doctorate thesis on a topic related to Indian mythology. This work is a revised English translation of her 'Licence' dissertation which was originally written in French.