A ‘Harry Potter’ in 1354 and the emergence of a vernacular literary tradition in the Hindi Belt
The talk will scrutinise theories on the emergence of a vernacular literary tradition in the “Hindi Belt” (Madhyadeśa) and examine the earliest extant works coming from the region. While both Hindi and Urdu have produced literary histories that extend for a millennium or more, most early claims are untenable in the light of later philological research. The talk will examine the role of Jain stories and of a primarily Jain literary idiom rooted in Apabhramsha and originating in Gujarat in setting examples for later works. It will also discuss the gendered aspect of vernacularisation and investigate alternatives to binaries, such as centre and periphery or cosmopolitan and vernacular.
Date:
11 October 2022, 14:00 (Tuesday, 1st week, Michaelmas 2022)
Venue:
St Antony's College, 62 Woodstock Road OX2 6JF
Venue Details:
Syndicate Room
Speaker:
Imre Bangha (University of Oxford)
Organising department:
Asian Studies Centre
Organisers:
Imre Bangha (University of Oxford),
Thiruni Kelegama (Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
asian@sant.ox.ac.uk
Part of:
Modern South Asian Studies Seminar Series
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Clare Salter
