More Than RealFrom the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, the major cultures of southern India underwent a revolution in sensibility reminiscent of what had occurred in Renaissance Italy. During this time, the imagination came to be recognized as the defining feature of human beings. More than Real draws our attention to a period in Indian history that signified major civilizational change and the emergence of a new, proto-modern vision. In general, India conceived of the imagination as a causative agent: things we perceive are real because we imagine them. David Shulman illuminates this distinctiveness and shows how it differed radically from Western notions of reality and models of the mind. Shulman's explication offers insightful points of comparison with ancient Greek, medieval Islamic, and early modern European theories of mind, and returns Indology to its rightful position of intellectual relevance in the humanities. At a time when contemporary ideologies and language wars threaten to segregate the study of pre-modern India into linguistic silos, Shulman demonstrates through his virtuoso readings of important literary works—works translated lyrically by the author from Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam—that Sanskrit and the classical languages of southern India have been intimately interwoven for centuries. |
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Abhinavagupta active Annamayya articulated attention awareness beauty Bhaṭṭa bhāvanā Brahmin Bronner causal century classical clearly clown cognitive cosmos creative Damayanti David Shulman defined discussion domain example existence existential experience external eyes fantasy figure goddess human Ibn al-'Arabi imaginative act inner internal Jagannātha Kālidāsa kāvya kind King Best Kuntaka language linguistic linked listener literary look lover matter means medieval meditation mental metaphysical Mīmāmsā mind mode Naitatam Nala Narayana Rao natural Nāyaka notion Nyāya object painted perception perhaps person play poem poet poet's poetic poeticians poetry pratibhā produce projection Rājaśekhara Rāma rasa reality reflection ritual Ruyyaka Sanskrit Sea-Borne seems seen sense Sītā Śiva south Indian space spectator statement story Tamil teleology Telugu temple Tenkasi theme theory thing tion Tirupati tive true Tubb Udayana ullam University unreal utprekṣā uyir Varuthini Vedic Velcheru Narayana Rao verse Vikramorvaśīya vision visionary words Yoga