Page 204 - DENG503_INDIAN_WRITINGS_IN_LITERATURE

Indian Writings in Literature

Notes • The author also remarks of the identity of tales in general, about their reality of being and
their continuance only on being passed on. The objectivity leads us to perceive the story as
a concept with its own existence and identity; and to emphasize its individuality it is
personified in the form of a woman.
• The Story seems to echo that in order to live, a story has to be "told" and "re-told ".i.e. the
story has no role without the listener or perceiver. And cannot help thinking that whether
the author is stressing the reader's role in constructing meaning or phenomenology. The
reader-response theory questions the endurance of the author's viewpoint that has no existence
without the reader's perception. Being "told" and "re-told" is nothing but "interpretation" and
"re-interpretation".
• Thus, the gist of the framework of the story runs parallel to the theme of the main story. As
Rani's role gets inverted at the end of the story and Appanna turns into a mere "instrument
to prove her divinity", likewise roles get reversed as the playwright (a man who tells stories)
"listens" to the Story (a woman).

24.3 Key-Words
1. Phenomenology : Phenomenology is commonly understood in either of two ways: as a
disciplinary field in philosophy, or as a movement in the history of
philosophy. Literally, phenomenology is the study of "phenomena":
appearances of things, or things as they appear in our experience, or the
ways we experience things, thus the meanings things have in our experience.
2. Perception : Perception is the identification and interpretation of sensory information
in order to represent and understand the environment. All perception
involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical
stimulation of the sense organs. For example, vision involves light striking
the retinas of the eyes, smell is mediated by odor molecules and hearing
involves pressure waves. Perception is not the passive receipt of these
signals, but can be shaped by learning, memory and expectation.

24.4 Review Questions
1. Write briefly about Girish Karnard.
2. Briefly introduce Nagmandla written by Girish Karnard.
3. The golden rule is that there are no final truths. Discuss with reference to Nagmandla.
4. Karnad successfully uses the myth to reveal the absurdity of life in Nagmandla. This brings
him closer to the modern Brechtian drama. Discuss.
Answers: Self-Assessment
1. (i) True (ii) True (iii) True (iv) True
24.5 Further Readings

1. Karnad, Girish. Two Plays by Girish Karnad. New Delhi: Oxford University
Press, 2004.
2. Rangan, V. "Myth and Romance in Nagamandala or their Subversion? " Girish
Karnad's Plays: Performance and Critical Perspectives. Ed. Tutun Mukherjee.
Delhi: Pencraft International, 2006.201.
3. Seeta, B.T. "Quest in Hayavadana and Nagamandala." Girish Karnad's Plays:
Performance and Critical Perspectives. Ed. Tutun Mukherjee. Delhi: Pencraft
International, 2006. 98.

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