Review: The Clever Adulteress and Other Stories: A Treasury of Jain Literature
Summary
Kansara reviews the anthology ‘The Clever Adulteress and Other Stories: A Treasury of Jain Literature’, which translates and compiles Jain narratives. The collection includes parables and legends from canonical texts, a medieval pilgrimage account, stories from Hemacandra’s Pariśiṣṭaparvan and Ādipurāṇa, and selections from a cosmological pilgrimage text. The reviewer summarises the contents and commends the translators for preserving the narrative charm and didactic lessons. He notes that the stories reveal the diversity of Jain literature, ranging from humorous tales to moral exempla, and challenge the perception that Jain writing is merely didactic. Kansara highlights that the anthology makes Jain storytelling accessible to English‑speaking readers and will interest scholars and general audiences. He suggests that additional contextual notes would enhance the reader’s appreciation.
AI-generated summary, automatically checked against the article text.
Conclusion
The review concludes that the anthology is a valuable contribution to Jain studies and comparative literature. By translating a wide range of narratives, it showcases the richness of Jain storytelling and promotes cross‑cultural understanding.