Type

Text

Type

Thesis

Advisor

Videbaek, Bente | Ayesha Ramachandran.

Date

2010-12-01

Keywords

Modern Literature -- Asian Literature -- Comparative Literature

Department

Department of English

Language

en_US

Source

This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.

Identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/11401/72635

Publisher

The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.

Format

application/pdf

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh use Luis Vaz de Camäes's epic poem The Lusiads and Miguel de Cervantes's satiric romance Don Quixote. After a brief discussion of epic and romance, I trace Rushdie's use and re-use of various aspects from both of these works. A close reading of The Lusiads and The Moor's Last Sigh will show that in re-using Camäes's epic, Rushdie provides India with a nationalistic work and voice that reclaims India from her imperial past, while also providing a pluralist perspective for the world to learn from. Furthermore, an analysis of Don Quixote and The Moor's Last Sigh will show that in re-using Cervantes's romance, Rushdie continues to promote the pluralist ideals, while also re-using the romance trope of loss to create a sense of urgency for pluralism and tolerance.

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