Publisher:
University of California Press, Berkeley, CA
A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. There is a vast body of imaginal literature in Bengali that introduces fictional Sufi saints into the complex mythological world of Hindu gods and goddesses....
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A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. There is a vast body of imaginal literature in Bengali that introduces fictional Sufi saints into the complex mythological world of Hindu gods and goddesses. Dating to the sixteenth century, the stories-pir katha-are still widely read and performed today. The events that play out rival the fabulations of the Arabian Nights, which has led them to be dismissed as simplistic folktales, yet the work of these stories is profound: they provide fascinating insight into how Islam habituated itself into the cultural life of the Bangla-speaking world. In Witness to Marvels, Tony K. Stewart unearths the dazzling tales of Sufi saints to signal a bold new perspective on the subtle ways Islam assumed its distinctive form in Bengal Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Conventions Regarding Transliteration and Nomenclature -- Conventions Regarding Dates -- 1. Heavenly Orchestrations: The World of the Legendary Pīrs of Bengal -- 2. The Enchanting Lives of the Pīrs: Structures of Narrative Romance -- 3. Subjunctive Explorations: The Parodic Work of Pīr Kathā -- 4. Mapping the Imaginaire: The Conditions of Possibility -- 5. Manipulating the Cosmic Hierarchy: A Practical Act of Conceptual Blending -- 6. Pragmatics of Pīr Kathā: Emplotment and Extra-Discursive Effects -- Epilogue -- Works Cited -- Index
