Kāma's Flowers
eBook - PDF

Kāma's Flowers

Nature in Hindi Poetry and Criticism, 1885-1925

  1. 366 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Kāma's Flowers

Nature in Hindi Poetry and Criticism, 1885-1925

About this book

Explores the transformation of Hindi poetry as it reflects a changing society during the period from 1885 to 1925.

Kama's Flowers documents the transformation of Hindi poetry during the crucial period of 1885-1925. As Hindi was becoming a national language and Indian nationalism was emerging, Hindi authors articulated a North Indian version of modernity by reenvisioning nature. While their writing has previously been seen as an imitation of European Romanticism, Valerie Ritter shows its unique and particular function in North India. Description of the natural world recalled traditional poetics, particularly erotic and devotional poetics, but was now used to address sociopolitical concerns, as authors created literature to advocate for a "national character" and to address a growing audience of female readers.

Examining Hindi classics, translations from English poetry, literary criticism, and little-known popular works, Ritter combines translations with fresh literary analysis to show the pivotal role of nature in how modernity was understood. Bringing a new body of literature to English-language readers, Kama's Flowers also reveals the origins of an influential visual culture that resonates today in Bollywood cinema.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Kāma's Flowers by Valerie Ritter in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Indian & South Asian History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Kāma’s Flowers: Nature in Hindi Poetry and Criticism, 1885–1925
  2. Kāma’s Flowers: Nature in Hindi Poetry and Criticism, 1885–1925
  3. Contents
  4. Preface
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Transliteration Conventions and Abbreviations
  7. Note on Translations
  8. Abbreviations
  9. Chapter 1: Terms of Engagement: A Guide to the Assumptions of Hindi Poetics
  10. Chapter 2: Critical Nature: Defining Hindi Poetic Modernity
  11. Chapter 3: Nature in Translation: Goldsmith and Pope in Hindi
  12. Chapter 4: Realizing Classical Poetics: Recasting Sanskritic Landscapes
  13. Chapter 5: Independent Subjects: Modern Modes of Nature as a Literary Subject
  14. Chapter 6: Embodying the World: A Macrocosm of Natural Objects
  15. Chapter 7: Women Problems: Poetics without Śṛṅgāra
  16. Chapter 8: A Critical Interlude: Rāmacandra Śukla and “Natural Scenes in Poetry” (1923)
  17. Chapter 9: The Prospect of Chāyāvād, 1920–25: Developing Perspectives on Natural Poetics
  18. Concluding Remarks
  19. Notes
  20. Select Bibliography
  21. Index