Modern Religious Tragedy

Contents: Foreword. Preface. An apologia for transgression. To Sir, with love. 1. Religion and tragic Drama. 2. The modern writer\'s socio-intellectual milieu and his search for faith. 3. Formative influences everyman. 4. An assessment of major modern religious tragedies. 5. The medium of expression: prose and verse. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.

"Life in the Vedic tradition is not a tragedy, nor a comedy, but a way towards the fulfillment of the aim of life, that is, realisation of the self. The main purpose of the Indian tradition is disciplining human nature in such a way that it paves the way for the realization of the self. Though the terrain is uneven, yet always challenging the journey has never been termed tragic. The famous example is of Nachiketa of the Kathopanishad who is free from fear even at the door of Yama, the God of death. This makes the book a joyous ride. One touchstone of critical wisdom is the quality of lines plucked from the text for illustration, rebuttal, support or analysis.

Religion has nothing more to fear than not being sufficiently understood. We have enough religious to make one hate, but enough to make love one another, and here is nook that tries, and tries with the passion and vision of Forster, to actually connect the world torn apart, the world of private and public breakdowns. And, as stated, it does so by glorifying tears in the heart of things."