Presentation Title
Karña in the Round
Major Field of Study
Eastern Classics
Location
Dominican University of California (online)
Start Date
20-6-2021 9:00 AM
End Date
20-6-2021 10:00 AM
Abstract
Karña in the Mahābhārata is a quintessential "round" character, complex and unclassifiable. His parentage is complicated. By ancestry, by law, and physically, he is a kshatriya (the warrior caste), but by inclination and by reputation he is mixed-caste. He manifests love of truth, loyalty, and generosity, sometimes problematically, which ultimately lead to his destruction. He combines those virtues with conceit, braggadocio, and a fierce hunger for fame. All these combine to make him more like a real-life character than are many if not most we encounter in fiction.
Karña in the Round
Dominican University of California (online)
Karña in the Mahābhārata is a quintessential "round" character, complex and unclassifiable. His parentage is complicated. By ancestry, by law, and physically, he is a kshatriya (the warrior caste), but by inclination and by reputation he is mixed-caste. He manifests love of truth, loyalty, and generosity, sometimes problematically, which ultimately lead to his destruction. He combines those virtues with conceit, braggadocio, and a fierce hunger for fame. All these combine to make him more like a real-life character than are many if not most we encounter in fiction.
Presenter Biography
Jay A. Gold is a Master of Arts candidate in Eastern Classics at St. John’s College, from which he received his undergraduate degree exactly 50 years ago. Having received the degrees of M.D. (Texas A&M), J.D. (NYU), and M.P.H. (Harvard), he devoted his career to medicolegal relations and health care quality. He enrolled in the St. John’s Graduate Institute upon his retirement.