Re-Visioning Mythology in Indian Literature

Dr. Monica Khanna has a Ph.D. in English literature, and experience of twenty years in academics, journalism and business. She teaches at various management and engineering colleges. She has authored three books, and presented papers at various national and international conferences and seminars. Her area of interest is gender studies.

Mythology has always been a source of intrigue and fascination for every generation. This book analyzes the portrayal of five prominent women characters in Hindu mythology - Sita, Gandhari, Draupadi, Ahalya and Surpanakha. It illustrates how certain myths have been popularized by patriarchy in order to ideologically construct the identity of women in Indian society. Mythology not only provides role models that a woman must emulate, but also illustrates the consequences of transgressing the boundaries prescribed for women. However, certain literary texts have attempted to reinterpret mythological characters, and have given them a different dimension. The book examines how contemporary authors have questioned, 're-visioned' and consequently subverted the stereotyped images of women in Hindu mythology. Thus, there is 'demythification' and consequently 'remythification' of the original myths. This work provides interesting insights and perspectives to scholars of mythology, literature and gender studies.