Description
Romila Thapar’s ‘Sakuntala: Texts, Readings, Histories’ is a seminal work that deconstructs one of Sanskrit literature’s most celebrated narratives. The book moves beyond traditional literary analysis to examine how the Sakuntala story has been interpreted, rewritten, and reimagined across different time periods and cultural contexts.
Thapar investigates the textual origins of the narrative, tracing its evolution through Kalidasa’s classical drama and earlier sources. She explores how successive generations of readers—from ancient scholars to colonial administrators to modern audiences—have encountered and understood the tale, each bringing their own ideological frameworks and interpretations.
By analyzing the Sakuntala legend through multiple lenses, Thapar demonstrates how literary texts are never static but constantly reinterpreted through history. Her scholarship illuminates broader questions about textuality, cultural memory, and the politics of interpretation, making this essential reading for anyone interested in Sanskrit literature, Indian history, and the cultural life of classical texts.
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