Material Devotion in a South Indian Poetic World

By: Leah Elizabeth Comeau

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Hardcover | 19 March 2020

At a Glance

Hardcover
232 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.6 x 1.42

Hardcover

RRP $200.00

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The poets of Hindu devotion are known for the passion and intimacy with which they seek and celebrate their deities. While verses over a thousand years old are still treasured, translated, and performed by contemporary devotees and scholars alike, little attention has been paid to the evocative sensorial worlds contained within and referenced by these literary compositions. Material Devotion in a South Indian Poetic World contributes new methods for the study and interpretation of material religion as it occurs within and through literary landscapes.

The poetry of Tamil South India invites travel across real and imagined geography, naming royal patrons, ancient temple towns, and natural landscapes. Leah Comeau locates the materiality of devotion to Shiva in a world unique to the South Indian vernacular and yet captivating to audiences across time, place, and tradition.

Industry Reviews

Nothing compares to medieval Tamil poetry for bringing devotion and divinity to life. Leah Elizabeth Comeau masterfully enters this life by engaging the Tirukkovaiyar as it is meant to be encountered, read deeply and slowly, lingering in its smells, sights, sounds, and emotions. Attending as well to the work's reverberations through local landscapes, sculpture, ritual, and architecture, this book is a feast for the mind and the senses. * Corinne Dempsey, Professor & Rosemarie Beston Chair for Global Studies in Religious Studies, Nazareth College of Rochester, USA *
Manikkavacakar's Tirukkovaiyar, a classic of world literature, has long been due for an updated scholarly analysis in English, now addressed by Leah Elizabeth Comeau's elegant study of the poem and its rich literary world. Using new theories of material religion, she provides a sensory-centered reading, revealing that the material sensations of nature, human love, and divine presence combine into a frisson of proximity that is at the center of devotional experience. * Karen Pechilis, NEH Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Professor of Comparative Religion, Drew University, USA *

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