Seminar : Indian Literature

lglor2941  2019-2020  Louvain-la-Neuve

Seminar : Indian Literature
Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q1

This biannual learning unit is being organized in 2019-2020
Teacher(s)
Vielle Christophe;
Language
French
Prerequisites
None, but a knowledge of the general framework of ancient Indian literature is useful (acquired by obligatory reading of a basic work and an anthology).
Main themes
The seminar might treat any of the literature of classical India, that is to say principally that written in Sanskrit, but also that in the middle Indo-Aryan and in the Dravidian languages, according to successive epochs and/or different genres.
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 At the end of this seminar, the student will be able of finding his way in the different sectors of ancient Indian literature, notably Sanskrit, and of producing a written synthesis on a chosen theme.
 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
By the means of a theme, selected and introduced by the lecturer, the objective of the seminar is that the student should show, when working alone, on the basis of a written work, his capacity to find his way in the different sectors of ancient Indian  literature, notably in Sanskrit, and to select the texts relevant to the subject, to introduce them in a philologically rigorous and historically correct fashion, and to synthesise in a critical manner the state of research attached to the subject.
The seminar might treat any of the literature of classical India , that is to say principally that in Sanskrit, but also that in middle Indo-Aryan (Pali, Prakrits) and in the Dravidian languages (ancient Tamill Malayam), according to successive epochs and/or different genres: Vedic texts (Veda-Samhitas, Brahmanas, Upanishads, Vedangas; Buddhist and Jaina, canonic and para-canonic literature; epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana), puranas, treatises of the Dharma and other Hindu religious texts; philosophical  (darçanas etc.) and scientific literature; Artha and Kamaçastras, grammar and poetry; belles lettres or Kavya, lyrical , dramatical and narrative.
Teaching methods
The seminar will be introduced by one or two seances given by the teacher, who will introduce the chosen theme. Afterwards, each of the students will give one séance on the basis of their written work.
Evaluation methods
The final marks are based on an evaluation of a written piece of work ans its oral presentation during the exam.
Bibliography
Lectures obligatoires :
- L. Renou, Les littératures de l'Inde (Que sais-je ? 503), Paris, 1966²;
- L. Renou, Anthologie sanskrite. Textes de l'Inde ancienne traduits du sanskrit, Paris, 1947.
Lectures complémentaires :
- M. Winternitz, Geschichte der indischen Litteratur, 3 vols., Leipzig, 1908-1922 ; cf. english revised transl.: A History of Indian Literature, 3 vols., Delhi, 1981-1985.
- J. Gonda dir., A History of Indian Literature, Wiesbaden, 10 vols., 1973-.
- P.-S. Filliozat dir., Dictionnaire des littératures de l'Inde, Paris, 2001².
Faculty or entity
GLOR


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [60] in Ancient Languages and Literatures : Oriental Studies

Master [120] in Ancient Languages and Literatures: Oriental Studies