Acknowledgments -- A note on transliteration -- An Absent Audience -- Rama Stories and Puppet Plays -- Ambivalent Accommodations: Bhakti and Folk Hinduism -- The Death of Sambukumaran: Kama and Its Defense -- Killing Vali: Rama's Confession -- Ravana's First Defeat: The Puppeteers' Oral Commentary -- The Death of Indrajit: Creating Conversations -- Rama's Coronation: The Limits of Restoration -- Appendix A: Three Samples of the Puppeteers' Commentary in Transliteration -- Appendix B: Sample Commentary in Tamil Script -- Appendix C: Main Characters in the Puppeteers' Rama Story -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary
The author describes the skill and physical stamina of the shadow puppeteers in Kerala state in South India as they perform the Tamil version of the Ramayana epic all night for as many as ten weeks during the festival season. The fact that these performances often take place without an audience forms the starting point for Blackburn's discussion which also explores the broader theoretical issues of text, interpretation, and audience
