Indian Literary Criticism: Theory and Interpretation is a collection of essays by various scholars; the book traces out the Indian tradition of literary criticism. Students of Indian literature need to have access to India's critical tradition. This volume provides teachers, students, and scholars-in-the-making access to some of the key concepts and ideas in the Indian tradition of literary theory. It contains essays from Abhinavagupta, Dandin, Kuntaka, Jnanesvara, Khusrau, Ghalib, Tagore, Aurobindo as well as contemporary critics like Mardhekar, Matilal, Krishnamoorthy and Patankar. In doing so it brings together in one volume some of the most significant literary thinkers in the Indian tradition of the last two thousand years.
A literary scholar and a cultural activist, G. N. Devy writes in three languages—Marathi, Gujarati and English—and is the recipient prestigious literary awards for his works in all three languages. He is the Chief Editor of the People's Linguistic Survey of India, a multivolume, multilingual project. Devy's academic and activist work reveals a rare combination of a deep interest in India’s classical literature and philosophy as well as in the threatened languages of Adivasi and nomadic communities, in higher education and rural development.
Part I: Theory 1. BHARATAMUNI: On Nat.ya and Rasa: Aesthetics of Dramatic Experience 2. THOLKAPPIYAR: On Diction and Syntax 3. BHARTRHARI: On Syntax and Meaning 4. DANDIN: Sarga-bandha: Epic Poetry 5. ANANDAVARDHANA: Dhvani: Structure of Poetic Meaning 6. DHANANJAYA: Definitions and Descriptions in Drama 7. KUNTAKA: Language of Poetry and Metaphor 8. ABHINAVAGUPTA: On Santarasa: Aesthetic Equipoise 9. JNANESVARA: Invocations 10. AMIR KHUSRAU: Multilingual Literary Culture 11. KESHAVADASA: Kinds of Poetry and Defects of Poetry 12. AL-BADAONI: Excerpts from the Tawarikh 13. MIRZA ASADULLAH KHAN GHALIB: Poetry as Freedom 14. RABINDRANATH TAGORE: What Is Art? 15. SRI AUROBINDO: The Sources of Poetry; The Essence of Poetry 16. B. S. MARDHEKAR: Poetry and Aesthetic Theory 17. G. N. DEVY: Para-Literature and Translation
Part II: Interpretation 18. K. KRISHNAMOORTHY: Sanskrit Poetics: An Overview 19. A. K. RAMANUJAN: On Ancient Tamil Poetics 20. BIMAL KRISHNA MATILAL: Bhartrhari’s View of Sphota21. M. HIRIYANNA: The Number of Rasas 22. R. B. PATANKAR: Aesthetics: Some Important Problems