Love & Aesthetics
Bharata’s Natyasastra, an ancient Sanskrit treatise on dramaturgy and stagecraft, proposes the aesthetic category of “rasa” as the goal of all dramatic performance. Indian aesthetic theorists beginning with Bharata have defined rasa in numerous ways, from aesthetic relish to transcendental religious experience. In this course we will explore the concept of rasa as debated by aesthetic theorists for centuries in pre-modern South Asia. We will also explore the concept of srngara rasa, or the aesthetics of love and eroticism, in a range of sources, including Sanskrit and vernacular poetry, textual treatises on love (the Kamasutra), devotional bhakti literature, and dramatic performance. Prior study of Religion or Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies is recommended. 3 hrs. sem.