The book Indian and Western Aesthetics in Sri Aurobindo’s Criticism is a comparative study of Indian and western aesthetics. It depicts the beauty of evolution of multiplicity of theories to vastness of concepts postulated by different literary theoreticians. Moreover, it gives a keen insight into Sri Aurobindo’s aesthetics. His criticism has given the complete synthesis of Indian poetic theories which have striking parallels to modern Western literary theories. He is one of the greatest literary critics who recovered the salient principles of ancient Indian aesthetics and their potentialities. His aesthetics accommodated many modern trends on the foundation of Indian culture that is going to be the mantra of new civilization.

There is a marked awareness about the language of literature and its meaning both in Indian and Western aesthetic thinking. The aestheticians of both schools hold that the language of literature embodies a significant aspect of human experience, and represents a creative pattern of verbal structure to impart meaning effectively. Modern Western aesthetic thinking, which includes theories like formalism, new criticism, stylistics, structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction, discourse analysis, semiotics and dialogic criticism, in one way or another emphasizes the study of the language of literature in order to understand its meaning. Similarly, there is a distinct focus on the language of literature and its meaning in Indian literary theories which include the theory of rasa (aesthetic experience), alaṁkāra (the poetic figure), rīti (diction), dhvani (suggestion), vakrokti (oblique expression) and aucitya (propriety). This book explores how the language of literature and its meaning have been dealt with in both Indian and Western aesthetic thinking. In doing so, the study concentrates on Kuntaka’s theory of vakrokti and Ānandavardhana’s theory of dhvani in Indian aesthetic thinking and Russian formalism and deconstruction in Western thinking. The book categorically focuses on the intersection between the theory of vakrokti and Russian formalism and the meeting-point between the theory of dhvani and deconstruction.

The Papers Brought Together In This Volume Were Presented At A Seminar Organised In January 1991 Under The Joint Auspices Of The Sahitya Akademi And The Literary Criterion Centre, Dvanyaloka, Mysore. In Collaboration With The Indian Association Of Commonwealth Literature. Several Scholarly Papers Were Presented At The Seminar On The Indian Concept Of Natya, Dhvani, Aucitya And Alankara. Erudite Scholars From All Parts Of The Country Took Part. This Seminar Represents The Third Phase Of The Interaction Between Indian And Western Critical Endeavours. Sahitya Akademi Is Happy To Bring Out These Papers In Book-Form For The Benefit Of Discerning Scholars, Academics And General Readers.

The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art provides an extensive research resource to the burgeoning field of Asian aesthetics. Featuring leading international scholars and teachers whose work defines the field, this unique volume reflects the very best scholarship in creative, analytic, and comparative philosophy. Beginning with a philosophical reconstruction of the classical rasa aesthetics, chapters range from the nature of art-emotions, tones of thinking, and aesthetic education to issues in film-theory and problems of the past versus present. As well as discussing indigenous versus foreign in aesthetic practices, this volume covers North and South Indian performance practices and theories, alongside recent and new themes including the Gandhian aesthetics of surrender and self-control and the aesthetics of touch in the light of the politics of untouchability. With such unparalleled and authoritative coverage, The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art represents a dynamic map of comparative cross-cultural aesthetics. Bringing together original philosophical research from renowned thinkers, it makes a major contribution to both Eastern and Western contemporary aesthetics.