Readings (for part 1 still relevant)
Readings for Devotional Poetry: http://www.hindidox.com/uploads/7/3/5/7/73579717/snell_devotion_rewarded-suda%CC%84ma%CC%84_carita.pdf
History if Hindi Literature: http://www.universityofcalicut.info/syl/HistoryofHindiLiteratureCopy.pdf (units 5 and 6)
Questions:
1) Why is the Bhakti poetry homogenous and at the same time heterogeneous? In what sense do you think it is uniform and in what is it not? Be specific.
2) Bhakti is a religious tradition with a literary expression. Share at least three arguments to support this claim and three to refute it.
3) How did spoken vernaculars emerge as highly valued literary languages used by the poets irrespectively of their native dialect? What is the significance of this socio-linguistic phenomenon?
4) Explain what scholars mean when they call the Bhakti poetry “mystic and philosophical”. Please discuss some major themes explored by the poets and provide examples.
5) What is the difference between nirguuNa and saguuNa bhakti? Explain the main concepts of each branch and provide examples.
6) What are the political circumstances in which Persian gradually lost its dominant position as the literary language in the Mughal courts? Yet, why did it not cease to be used until the middle of the 19th century?
7) What was the ideological environment in the North while the Bhakti Kavya was gaining popularity? Explain the main themes which carry social relevance and which reflect this environment.
8) What are the genre and thematic differences of the Braj and Avadhi poetry. What made Braj a preferred language in the Mughal courts?
9) Do you agree with the traditional separation between bhakti kaal and riiti kaal? Are they two distinctive periods and are there stylistic differences?
10) Did the Bhakti movement arose in response to changes in India’s political climate, or rather, in accordance with literary, religious and social factors internal to the Bhakti itself. Please explain why you support one claim or the other. Be specific