Description:
Authority, Anxiety, and Canon elucidates a principle fundamental to Hinduism's self-understanding-the Veda-while at the same time examining the methodological issues of the role of canon in religious tradition. Spanning the early periods of Indian religious history up to the twentieth century, the book combines theoretical sophistication and detailed scholarship to produce one of the first comprehensive works on Vedic interpretation since Louis Renou's Le Destin Du Veda.
Brief description: Laurie L. Patton is Assistant Professor of Asian Religions at Bard College.
Review Quotes:
"What a feast these essays provide! Together they constitute the most sophisticated yet accessible volume I have come across in years. There are moments in reading when I simply had to pause to write the word 'stunning' and to ponder the implications of what the author had just said." - Thomas B. Coburn, St. Lawrence University
"This anthology assembles a series of superbly researched and written articles around the theme of authority and anxiety as it displays itself in the Hindu tradition. The authors are the best of the generation of young scholars now establishing or having established their names in the field. There is a very good level of conversation among the articles, and the editor's introduction does an exceptionally clear and compelling job of setting forth the issues of canon and authority with respect to the place of the Vedas in traditional Hindu culture and modern Western scholarly and Hindu traditions. The volume is well crafted, coherent, and well written." - Paul B. Courtright, Emory University