
Collected Works of Edwin Arnold: Buddhism and Hinduism Studies, Poetry & Plays (Illustrated) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Light of Asia in English VerseBy Edwin ArnoldLength28h 49m
About this audiobook
This illustrated collection gathers Edwin Arnold's major engagements with Buddhism, Hinduism, poetry, and drama, presenting a Victorian writer's sustained effort to render Asian religious imagination intelligible to English readers. Its centerpiece is Arnold's mellifluous, narrative verse—most famously the Buddhist life of the Buddha—joined by works shaped by Sanskritic lore, ethical reflection, and theatrical romance. The style is ornate, musical, and didactic, belonging to the nineteenth-century Orientalist literary context while often seeking reverence rather than mere exotic spectacle. Arnold (1832–1904), poet, journalist, educator, and longtime editor of The Daily Telegraph, was unusually formed by imperial-era contact with India. As principal of Deccan College in Poona, he encountered Indian languages, scriptures, and intellectual traditions at close range. His writings reflect both the limitations of Victorian mediation and a genuine comparative curiosity, especially his desire to present Hindu and Buddhist thought as philosophically serious and spiritually profound. Readers interested in comparative religion, Victorian poetry, colonial literary history, or the Western reception of Asian traditions will find this volume rewarding. It is best approached critically yet sympathetically: as literature, translation-adaptation, and cultural document, it reveals how Arnold helped shape Anglophone understandings of the East.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreSpirituality and Religion
Length28 hrs 49 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateSep 18, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Collected Works of Edwin Arnold
3The Essence of Buddhism
4PREFACE.
5COMPILER'S PROEM.
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6THE ESSENCE OF BUDDHISM.
7Hindu Literature: Comprising The Book of good counsels, Nala and Damayanti
8THE BOOK OF GOOD COUNSELS
9Translator's Preface
10Introduction
11THE WINNING OF FRIENDS
12The Story of the Tiger and the Traveller
13The Story of the Jackal, Deer, and Crow
14The Story of the Vulture, the Cat, and the Birds
15The Story of the Dead Game and the Jackal
16The Prince and the Wife of the Merchant's Son
17The Story of the Old Jackal and the Elephant
18THE PARTING OF FRIENDS
19The Story of the Lion, the Jackals, and the Bull
20The Story of the Monkey and the Wedge
21The Story of the Washerman's Jackass
22The Story of the Cat Who Served the Lion
23The Story of the Terrible Bell
24The Story of the Prince and the Procuress
25The Story of the Black Snake and the Golden Chain
26The Story of the Lion and the Old Hare
27The Story of the Wagtail and the Sea
28WAR
29The Battle of the Swans and Peacocks
30The Story of the Weaver-Birds and the Monkeys
31The Story of the Old Hare and the Elephants
32The Story of the Heron and the Crow
33The Story of the Appeased Wheelwright
34The Story of the Dyed Jackal
35The Story of the Faithful Rajpoot
36PEACE
37The Treaty Between the Peacocks and the Swans
38The Story of the Tortoise and the Geese
39The Story of Fate and the Three Fishes
40The Story of the Unabashed Wife
41The Story of the Herons and the Mongoose
42The Story of the Recluse and the Mouse
43The Story of the Crane and the Crab
44The Story of the Brahman and the Pans
45The Duel of the Giants
46The Story of the Brahman and the Goat
47The Story of the Camel, the Lion, and His Court
48The Story of the Frogs and the Old Serpent
49NALA AND DAMAYANTI
50Introduction