A Varied Optic: Contemporary Studies in the Ramayana.

• Author: Gerow, Edwin
• Position: Brief Reviews of Books

A Varied Optic: Contemporary Studies in the Ramayana. Edited by MANDAKRANTA BOSE. Vancouver: INSTITUTE OF ASIAN RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, 2000. Pp. vi + 164.

Somewhat unusual in this collection of essays stemming from a conference held at the University of British Columbia is Robert Goldman's--devoted to a ringing defense of the "hegemonic" and "elitist" Ramayana of Valmiki. Swimming against the tide, Goldman argues eloquently that one of the undying strengths of the "original" Ramayana is just its ability to inspire countless "revisionist" versions, as time and tide suggest. Of course, Goldman, given his position of...