Sexing the Devi
Morphology of the mythic-fantastic in Azalea(s) and Chitrangada(s)
Abstract
Myths and fantasy are two of the most indispensable and widely consumed literary genres for every civilisation. These two literary/cultural forms partake in a rather curious correlation with each other. While myths are a product of cultural authorship, that authorises certain cultural norms arising through its narrative; fantasy is a literature of desire that revels in the free play of imagination and expression that are often outrageously subversive. Yet, the universes constructed by myth and fantasy are conspicuously structured on similar strategies and modality. It is this structural similitude between myth and fantasy that this paper dissects, in order to illustrate that myths are not simply a product of cultural authorship but more importantly of cultural fantasy that is propagated as symbolic truths. This paper particularly examines Indian mythological system through the myths of Ahalya and Chitrangada and their cinematic renditions, to excavate the underlying fantasy embedded within its narrative and the import of its reception.
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References
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