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iereading06

Page history last edited by Laura Gibbs 4 years, 6 months ago


Indian Epics Reading: Weeks 6 and 7. Mahabharata.

 

After three weeks on the Ramayana (two weeks for your first Ramayana encounter, and then one more week to explore the Ramayana from a different angle), you will have the same experience with the Mahabharata. So, in Weeks 6 and 7, you will read one version of the epic, and then in Week 9 you will look at the epic from a different angle (Week 8 is a review week; no new reading).

 

The two epics have some features in common, but they are also very different from each other; the Ramayana has a small core cast of characters and a strong sense of just who is acting rightly and who is acting wrongly, while the Mahabharata is a much bigger story where the characters' actions are often morally ambiguous. It's kind of like the difference between Lord of the Rings (Ramayana) and Game of Thrones (Mahabharata). I'll confess that I'm more of a Mahabharata-person than a Ramayana-person. After you read the Mahabharata, you'll be able to decide which of the two epics you prefer!

 

Choose your version. Just like with the Ramayana, there are two versions of the Mahabharata for you to choose from: an online Public Domain Edition based on many sources OR a novelistic version by R. K. Narayan. You can use your experience reading the Ramayana to decide which version of the Mahabharata you want to read now: MAHABHARATA OPTIONS. You may want to use the same option that you did before, or you might want to try something different this time!

 

Reading Notes posts. As you get ready to start a new epic, you might also want to review the Reading Notes Guidelines. If your notes are helping you with your stories, just keep on doing what you have been doing! But if you find yourself struggling with the storytelling assignments, you might want to experiment with some different notetaking strategies, finding ways to "read like a writer" (as opposed to reading in preparation for a quiz or exam, which is how the reading works in many college classes).

 

Four Parts: A-B-C-D. Each of the Ramayana options is divided up into four parts.

 

WEEK 6: Read Parts A-B. During Week 6, you will read Part A and Part B. Each of those counts as a separate reading assignment, so you will read all of Part A and then write up your Notes, and then you will read Part B and write up your Notes. That way you will be ready for a Storytelling assignment based on your favorite episode from the Mahabharata reading in Week 6.

 

WEEK 7: Read Parts C-D. Then, in Week 7, it works the same way: you will read Part C for your first reading assignment of the week, writing up a Notes post; then you will read Part D for the second reading assignment with a Notes post.

 

If you get off schedule, that's okay! If you miss Reading A or B during Week 6, just use the extra credit reading option to make up what you missed, and you will be on track to start Week 7 with Part C of the reading. If you miss Part C or Part D in Week 7, you can again use the extra credit reading option so that you can finish the Ramayana by the end of Week 7.

 

Extra credit. The extra credit reading is also useful if you want to learn more! For example, there are lots of Mahabharata comic books with more legends about the main characters like Ghatotkacha, the rakshasa son of Bhima and his lover Hidimbi, or the story of Ulupi, the Naga princess who became Arjuna's wife. There are also lots of other comic books in Bizzell, plus free books to read online. The more you read, the more you learn! So, I would highly recommend that you explore the extra credit reading options to see what you might enjoy.

 

 

Click refresh to see another comic book at random;
click on the title to learn more.

 

 

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