The Iliad, the Ramayana, and the Work of Religion by Gregory D Alles

The Iliad, the Ramayana, and the Work of Religion by Gregory D Alles

This text examines how two epics from different cultures, the Iliad and the Ramayana, were evoked by and acted upon by their respective societies. It also examines the role of literary persuasion in maintaining harmonious social interaction and in religious mystification.

“The aim of this book is to expose and analyze the means by which two classic narratives from two radically different cultures, Valmiki’s Rāmāyana, of ancient India and Homer’s Iliad of classical Greece, ‘mystify’ the social, cultural, and ultimately existential dangers of ‘failed persuasion’ The author submits that these narratives ‘mystified’ the very limits in the patterns of persuasion by which their social orders were arranged, and thereby ‘rendered human association tenable and tolerable.’ This book unquestionably makes a significant contribution not only to the history of religions but also to religion and literature and comparative literature as well.”

—Eric Ziolkowski,Lafayette College

Gregory D. Alles is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Coordinator of Cross-Cultural Studies at Western Maryland College.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780271013206
ISBN 10	0271013206
Title	The Iliad, the Ramayana, and the Work of Religion
Author	Gregory D Alles
Series	Hermeneutics
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Pennsylvania State University Press
Year published	1994-09-15
Number of pages	216
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.