Reading Notes: W. D. Monro's "Rama & Sita" (Part A)

This week, I decided to read W. D. Monro's "Rama & Sita" because I am planning on using his book Stories of India's Gods and Heroes to reference in my storybook (webpage to be announced soon!). While reading Part A of this section, I noticed that the writing style had old-fashioned storytelling in prose while PDE Ramayana was more small episodes with old-fashioned wording in either prose or verse style. Monro also decided to have the story told from different perspectives more in depth, too. For instance, he includes the interaction between Ravana and Sita as she continues to deny and reject him.

Monro's style also made the story of Rama & Sita more interesting and intense by building up a heroic suspense, which made the epic more... well, epic! I imagine an old wise man telling a story while reading this version. In a different way than I've done before, I'm thinking about writing my story this week in a old-fashioned prose. I might write it as more of a fairytale, too! The story of Rama and Sita fits the basic mold of hero-saving-the-damsel-in-distress. I could make Rama a prince, Sita a princess, and Ravana a fire breathing dragon! But that's for a later decision.

At the end of Part A (and the middle of the "Rama and Sita" section), Monro includes "The Tale of Pururavas & Urvasi" as a parallel love story to Rama and Sita's. I thought this was an interesting inclusion because it shows a different take on the power of love with a happier ending before the story of Rama and Sita ends. For this week's story, I could focus more on Pururavas and Urvasi instead, and have both of them thrown into the prince-princess rescue mission, too!

Rama & Sita

Bibliography: W. D. Monro's "Rama & Sita"