Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part A

These reading notes are over Part A of The Divine Archer which is written by F.J. Gould.

Plot Notes:

• It was definitely helpful to review over the Ramayana and read a different re-telling of the story. It's interesting to see what details are emphasized depending on the way the author narrates the story. For example, Gould chose to include the detail of the angry hermit after Rama broke Shiva's bow. It gives us, the readers, insight on how prominent Rama's actions were as well as how peaceful and noble Rama was as a character. He was able to calm the angry hermit and eventually the man said, "Glory to the mighty Rama!"
• I also noticed how this re-telling of the Ramayana avoided telling Ravana's background and role. The experience of Rama and Sita is the major plot of the Ramayana, but I believe Ravana's background and experiences help build the narrative world and allow us to better imagine all the different environments.
• The way Gould describes the marriage between Rama and Sita was very poetic. It included enough details to allow us to visualize the scene (flowers, chariots, gifts of exotic animals) while sticking to the traditional practices. It avoided over-exaggerating the experience, but all of the extravagance and supernatural changes highlighted how significant the marriage was.
• King Dasharatha planned on giving the king to Rama before Queen Kaikeyi demanded her son had the throne, and the plot detail was well-described in Gould's re-telling of the Ramayana. It was really interesting to see how important dialogue was in driving the narrative forward and how we learn more about the characters through the dialogue.
  

Style Notes:

• F.J. Gould was from England, and the style of writing was noticeably British. I recognized a lot of words and translations that made it more approachable for Western readers, such as the usage of "nay." Furthermore, the dialogue was definitely structured as English speakers would understand. It's interesting to see how the author was consistent with the plot, but he found creative liberty with the style of re-telling the narrative.

A black and white portrait of F.J. Gould. Source: Wikipedia