In this Book
- Extraordinary Child: Poems from a South Indian Devotional Genre
- Book
- 1997
- Published by: University of Hawai'i Press
summary
For hundreds of years Tamil poets have been composing devotional texts in which they adopt the voice of a mother and address praises to an extraordinary child. The poems, called pillaittamil (literally "Tamil for a child"), form a major genre of Tamil literature. Since the twelfth century, when the first known pillaittamil was written in honor of a Chola king, many of these poems have been composed in praise of Murugan and South Indian goddesses, as well as saints and venerated monastic abbots. In recent times pillaittamils have been dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad, the Virgin Mary, and Baby Jesus, as well as notable political figures and moviestars. Extraordinary Child provides a sampler of translations from, and analysis of, seven pillaittamils of particular religious, aesthetic, or political significance.
Table of Contents
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- Illustrations and Tables
- p. viii
- Part One: How To Read A Pillaittamil
- Chapter One Extraordinary Child
- pp. 3-25
- Part Two: Pillaittamils for Reading
- Chapter Three The Florescence
- pp. 53-80
- Chapter Four A Temple and a Pillaittamil
- pp. 81-111
- Chapter Five The Hindu Monastic Milieu
- pp. 112-129
- Chapter Six A Pillaittamil to Muhammad
- pp. 130-157
- Chapter Seven One Poet's Baby Jesus
- pp. 158-177
- Chapter Eight Poetry of Cultural Nationalism
- pp. 178-204
- Part Three: Reflections on Pillaittamils
- Bibliography
- pp. 269-280
Additional Information
ISBN
9780824862442
Related ISBN(s)
9780824810634
MARC Record
OCLC
45843017
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No