Indian Epics Vs.Greek Epics: A Comparative Study

This thesis is a comparision of the primeval literary works of humanity--epics--form two different cultural zones: India in Asia and Greece in the West, so as to reveal different esthetic dispositions of the two nations and bring to light the major features of each culture as well as the distinction between them by way of the cross-culture study. The introduction discusses the positive contribution made by epic to the development of human civilization and then leads to the central concern of this thesis with a brief survey of the outstanding esthetic achievements of the two nations'epics and their impact on the cultural development throughout the world as well as in their respective nations. The body part of the thesis consists of four parts. Part One outlines the comparative study of epics in today's globalized world. Prompted by cultural globalization, attempts at cultural reconstruction have led specialists to trace the cultural source of epics. As a result, a wave of return to the primordial wellsprings of mankind has swept the entire world. The new situation of culture globalization has made it both possible and necessary to scrutinize, through juxtaposition, the Sanskrit epics representing oriental culture and the Homerian epics exemplifying occidental culture. Part Two focuses on the similarities and differences between the two nations'epics as an evidence of the advent of literature. Both nations'epics are products of societies in transition, born of man's awakening self-awareness. This essential fact underlies the similarities between the two nations's epics. However, owing to the geographical factors and each culture's interaction with its neighboring cultures, the two groups of epics gradually diverge in different directions as a result of epic's intrinsic paradoxical inclination toward fossilization and mutation. Part Three scrutinizes and compares the two nations'epics with a view to gaining insight into the development of human culture. In other words, this section deals with the similarities and differences between the two nations'epics in term of the inherent beauty, view on fate and destination, description of sexual desire, characteristics of heroes and profound tragic vision, etc. form the perspective of culture studies. Part Four examines the two nations'epics from the religious point of view. A nation's epics are inseparable from its religious beliefs. These beliefs seep into and scatter all over the nation's epics so that the latter are made readily acceptable to the people and, on the other hand, the former is spread on a wider scale with the help of the latter. As Indian epics have experienced a longer period of evolution, during which the humanist and religious elements fuse into each other, they have already completed the transition from primitive religion to humanist religion. In contrast, Greek epics are more obviously marked by elements of primitive religion and a less restrained cultural temperament. The conclusion offers some supplementary information and then goes further to point out that a comparative study of epics from different cultural backgrounds not only helps reveal the evolution of ancient people'views and values, but also provides spiritual and cultural remedies which may save modern men, who are trapped in rationality and civilization crisis, out of their predicament.