Socio Cultural Impact on Women Writers of Devotional Literature in Medieval India and Europe A Study of Select Writers

Abstract

Man, from cradle to graveyard has the habit of disclosing his innermost newlinecravings, fulfilled or unfilled, to the world and certainly such expressions are newlinefundamentally influenced by the prevailing socio-cultural aspects. The quest for love newlinehas been found in all civilized literature in all times. The fulfilled wish leads to joy or newlinea celebration, if not the distress is articulated. In general, Eve s expressions throw newlinelights on the societal norms and dogmas of male dominated society. newlineThis dissertation deals with various aspects of social and cultural compositions newlineand different types of mystical expressions. The project then looks for those newlinecomponents of the socio-cultural backgrounds, having impacted the womendevotional newlinepoets and their thinking process, which at times, would have subdued them newlineor at other times, would have made them rebel against an oppressive environment. newlineSometimes it might have pushed them towards mysticism, a probable divine newlineintervention. The dissertation proposes that these compositions are operated in newlinevarying degrees, within the contours of the socio-cultural realm, and the willing newlineoffering of the self to others irrespective of agony or celebration, that brings selfrealization, newlineredemption and salvation. Ultimately, the comparative study highlights the newlineinterplay of the socio-cultural impositions and divinity in the writers newline