Courtly Culture and Political Life in Early Medieval India

ISBN-13: 9780521816274 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 318 str.

Daud Ali

Opis

Representing the first full-length study of courtly culture in classical India, this book explores the growth of royal households and the development of a courtly worldview in the Gupta period (c. 350-750) and its aftermath. Using both literary sources and inscriptions up to 1200, the book establishes the organization, personnel and protocol of the royal household as the background for a sustained examination of courtly ethics, notions of beauty, and theories of erotic love.

Recenzje

Review of the hardback: 'This insightful work offers an exciting, new perspective on the culture of classical India, one that is sure to inject fresh vigour into this neglected, and until recently almost moribund, field of study. Ali does what no one has done before … It is a major contribution to the field and should be read by everyone with a serious interest in India's early culture.' South Asian Studies

Spis treści

Introduction; Part I. The Rise and Structure of Courtly Life in Early Medieval India: 1. The people of the court; 2. The culture of the court; 3. The protocol of the court; Part II. Aesthetics and the Courtly Sensibility: 4. Beauty and refinement; 5. The education of disposition; Part III. Anxiety and Romance: 6. Courtship and the royal household; 7. The battle of love; Postscript.