This analysis of India's first major comics publisher invigorates folklore and comic art by illustrating their essential role in creating and revising national and religious identity." -Jeremy Stoll, Journal of Folklore Research "riginal both in content and in the kinds of sources that are brought to bear on the subject. Karline McLain argues that the Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comic book series represents a form of public culture through which creators and readers participate in national and religious discourse. Lent, Temple University, January 2010 "In India's Immortal Comic Books. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. This study is welcome both for the author's care with her subject and for its affirmation that the comics can be an important medium-in this case, one that helped define Hinduism and Indianness to younger generations of Indians.
McLain discusses some controversies concerning ACK, such as its portrayals of women and Muslims, but she seems to pull back from delving fully into the negative appraisals of the comic books.
She discusses ACK plots and how they were fashioned their adherence to or deviation from the original stories the historical and religious contexts in which they were retold and the reactions of parents, educators, and fans. She even worked in ACK offices in order to become more informed.
Besides interviewing ACK founder and publisher Anant Pai and ACK staff, the author visited Indian grocery stores, temples, and community centers in India, England, and the US to talk with the comics' many fans. McLain (religion, Bucknell Univ.) did exhaustive research on this topic, and here she captures the essence of India's most popular comic book series, 'Amar Chitra Katha,' known for its entertaining and educational renditions of Indian history, religion, and mythology.
0 kommentar(er)
