Now when you write that the reverse statement was heard by you very
commonly, I just have to wonder how this fit into the larger scheme by
which the English literary curriculum developed in India. I know this is
off the scope of this list, but it may interest you to know that the
study of "English Literature" was established in the Indian curriculum
*before* it was part of the curriculum in India. Why? Because the
English had to demonstrate to the Indian students the cultural
superiority of English literature. If you want to read more about it,
Prof. Gauri Viswanathan has researched this and written a book _Masks of
COnquests: English Literary Studies_ (title may not be exactly correct).
just an interlude -- back to writing about identity and dramatic
performance in the Natya Sastra.
-- Aravinda
p.s. thanks to all of you who helped me with my paper on Dalit
literature. I referred mostly to the Marathi sources but I am looking
forward to reading more of the telugu works during the vacation. What I
wrote about was the role of literacy and literary education within the
Dalit liberation movement, and compared the perspectives of Dalits and
non-Dalits with respect tho this issue.
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"Waiting for a job, I passed the first year of an M.A. in English
Literature. It was just an excuse to keep myself occupied. " -- Kumud
Pawde, "The Story of my Sanskrit" http://www.columbia.edu/~ap191
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