Aithihyamala and the politics of visual representation : a study of select narratives

Abstract

Aithihyamala (The Garland of Legends) written by Kottarathil Sankunni is a collection of 126 stories compiled in eight volumes between the years 1909 and 1934. The text has played a pivotal role in the formation of Kerala modernity. A problem arises when we think about why the project/critiques of Kerala modernity embraced a text such as Aithihyamala, which was replete with the myths and legends scattered across the state, while the major aspects of Kerala modernity focused on the renaissance spirit and technological advancements. It was assumed in the beginning of the research that a common thread unifying the legends in Aithihyamala was the projection of masculinity in the depiction of the heroes, in the text as well as in films and television serials. To limit the scope of the study, the legends of Kayamkulam Kochunni and Kadamattathu Kathanar were selected along with their film and television adaptations.The thesis is divided into six chapters along with an introduction and conclusion. The first chapter traces the dissemination of a text such as Aithihyamala in the popular culture of Kerala from the oral tradition to the digital age. The second chapter is theoretical, it contextualises Aithihyamala in the discourse of Kerala modernity and analyses the masculinity formulation, its transition from a matrilineal system to a patrilineal one and eventually to a modern salaried system. The third chapter is analytical and it re-reads the legends of Kayamkulam Kochunni and Kadmattathu Kathanar on the canvas of cinema and examines the celebration of the masculinities within these films and how it differs from the representation of the legends within Aithihyamala. The fourth chapter is also analytical and it examines the television adaptations of Kadamattathu Kathanar and Kayamkulam Kochunni and traces modernity shaping gendered desires and anxieties of the Kerala audience. The fifth chapter focuses on the re representation of these legends for the consumption of a new generation of audience and it concludes with the fact that even though the popularity of a text such as Aithihyamala wanes, these legends will remain intact in the popular culture through new forms. The sixth chapter is recommendations and it discusses the advanced scope of the study in spatial, literary, and academic fields. The various shades of masculinity appropriated into the popular culture through the legends from Aithihyamala, and their visual (both film and television) adaptations have created a collective Malayali psyche inextricably linked to the discourses of modernity.