
Kama Sutra - Annotated (The original english translation by Sir Richard Francis Burton) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Annotated Classic on Love, Pleasure, and Ancient Indian LivingBy Richard Francis Burton, VatsyayanaLength8h
About this audiobook
Kama Sutra - Annotated presents one of the most influential classical treatises on love, social conduct, erotic knowledge, and cultivated living in its historic English rendering associated with Sir Richard Francis Burton. Far more than a manual of sexual technique, the work ranges across courtship, marriage, domestic arrangements, aesthetics, pleasure, and social etiquette, offering aphoristic instruction alongside vivid cultural observation. The annotations help situate its compact sutra style, clarifying terms, customs, and interpretive challenges for modern readers. Attributed to Vatsyayana, a learned compiler working within the intellectual traditions of ancient India, the text belongs to a wider Sanskritic discourse on the aims of life, including desire as a subject of ethical and practical inquiry. Burton's nineteenth-century translation, shaped by Victorian Orientalist scholarship and its limits, played a decisive role in transmitting the work to Anglophone audiences. Together, author, translator, and annotative apparatus reveal changing cross-cultural attitudes toward intimacy, gender, knowledge, and textual authority. This volume is recommended for readers seeking a historically grounded encounter with a foundational work of world literature and cultural history. It offers a rare opportunity to examine desire through philosophical, social, and literary lenses, while also prompting reflection on translation, reception, and interpretation. Students, scholars, and general readers alike will find in it a richly layered dialogue between ancient Indian thought and modern critical inquiry.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreSpirituality and Religion, Literary Classics
Length8 hrs
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 10, 2013
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Kama Sutra - Annotated (The original english translation by Sir Richard Francis Burton) (Annotated)
10PART III.
2Introduction
11PART IV.
3Synopsis
12PART V.
4Historical Context
13PART VI.
5Author Biography
14PART VII.
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6PREFACE.
15Analysis
7INTRODUCTION.
16Reflection
8PART I. THE VATSYAYANA SUTRA. INTRODUCTORY PREFACE.
17Memorable Quotes
9PART II.