Reading Options

I would like to read Narayan's Ramayana because I like the idea of a synthesized copy of the legend by a single author. I found a version online that had a list of characters at the front, which I think will be helpful as I read along since I am not used to the language and don't want to get the unfamiliar names confused.

Lava and Kusha are two characters that I am particularly interested in. Their origins remind me a little bit of Remus and Romulus in Roman mythology, although there are some major differences. From reading other's Storybooks last week, I noticed the trend of twins (or at least siblings) throughout Indian epics. It will be very interesting to see how this trope is carried throughout the stories we read.

For the Mahabharata readings, I think I will use the PDE version. I like the layout of this website, and I think I will enjoy being able to have the text online with a lot of hyperlinks that will help me better understand each character. I also really like that it has an audiobook option. I hate not being able to understand how to pronounce the names of the various places and people in the epics, so the audiobook option will be very useful in solving this issue.

I loved the "Rock on Hanuman" that was included in our assignment page. It introduced the myth in a way that was fun and easy to understand. I also really liked getting to see the artwork associated with the myth. It really helped me picture the people the myth was explaining.

Tom Haverford