nAsy gArannaTlu, sRngAram oka pradhAnamina rasaminamduvalana,
it plays a very important role in our literature. for me, it
really shouldn't matter if the characters used in description
are mortals/immortals - after all, aren't they all fictional?
rasAnuBhUtini kaligimcEdE nijamina kavitvam. but then, how do
you distinguish between a SrngAra kAvyam and a bootu racana.
while in the former, the poet shows utmost respect for the
characters, their actions, the latter reduces them to base levels.
probably, chosing BhagavantuDu as the subject makes it easier
for one to raise the level of respect one has towards the content.
otherwise, it should make no difference at all.
i recently came across some of gurajADa's views on the topic of
not making bad characters look attractive in a novel.
source:gurajADa's letters to his friend O.M.Subrahmanyam in 1909.
published in THE HINDU dated Feb. 27, 1936.
translated into telugu by calam in "ASayamgA cUpimcataginadi
mAnavuDi prEma" - #8 in his vyAsa sampuTi "Anamdam"
" kalA dRushTitO AdarSamgA cEsinappaTikI, unnadunnaTTugA rAsinaTlaitE,
prajala nIti aBhiprAyamulaku viruddhamgA unDE GhaTTAlu taTastimcaka mAnavu.
komtavarakU naitika khanDanamu pratyEka tatvAla mIda AdhArapaDi vumTumdi.
mIku avinIti amTE kamTakamani telusu. kAvuna mIru vESya anEsariki
adiri paDatAru."
"kAvyAllOni nyAyasmruti poetic justicelO mArindi. nEnu jIvitAnni
citristunnAnu. kalAparamgA komta ounnatyAnnistAnu"
"nEnu kalArAdhakunnE ayinappaTikI, samGham eDala BhAdhyata umdi nAku.
nA pustakam cadivEvAru nannu oka praSna vEyavaccu. nEnu durmArgAnni
AkarshanIyam cEsAnA? ani. ceyyalEdani nA nammakam. modaTi mudraNalO
madhura vANi jIvamlEni GhOramgA tayArayimdi. ee mudraNalO aameni pUrNamgA
citrimcAnu. nEnE Ameni cUsi Bramasi pOtunnAnu. kanaka aameni civara
ramgamlO samskarimcAnu. imka mIku aBhyantaram umDakUDadu".
and a lot of relevant discussion. its getting too laborious for me
to type it all. sorry! u need to get the book to read it all.
-- ********************************************************************* Prasad Chodavarapu * WWW Homepage: * 305 N.Lincoln Av., #S105 * * Urbana IL 61801 * http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~chodavar* ********************************************************************* ph:(217)-344-0473(R) * "manasanE oka sampada prati * (217)-244-6909(O) * manishilOnU unDanI, mamatalE * ********************************** prati manasulO koluvunDanI" * e-mail:chodavar@students.uiuc.edu* --rAjasrI * *********************************************************************