
The Collected Works of Edwin Arnold: Buddhism & Hinduism Writings, Poetical Works & Plays (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Essence of Buddhism, Light of the World, The Light of Asia, The Song CelestialBy Edwin ArnoldLength29h 25m
About this audiobook
The Collected Works of Edwin Arnold gathers the writings through which Victorian literature encountered Asia as both spiritual landscape and poetic subject. Centered on Arnold's celebrated Buddhist and Hindu compositions—above all the richly cadenced devotional narrative associated with The Light of Asia—the volume reveals a writer working between epic paraphrase, lyrical meditation, dramatic form, and moral romance. Its style is ornate, musical, and earnest, shaped by nineteenth-century Orientalist scholarship yet animated by a genuine desire to render Indian religious thought intelligible to English readers. Edwin Arnold (1832–1904) was an English poet, journalist, and cultural mediator whose years in India, including service as principal of Deccan College in Poona, profoundly informed his imagination. Later, as a leading editor at The Daily Telegraph, he addressed a broad imperial readership while retaining a sustained interest in Sanskritic and Buddhist traditions. His writings reflect both the possibilities and limitations of Victorian cross-cultural interpretation. This collection is recommended to readers interested in comparative religion, Victorian poetry, and the literary transmission of Buddhism and Hinduism to the West. It rewards those who approach it historically: as poetry, as cultural encounter, and as evidence of a formative moment in global religious imagination.
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
GenrePoetry
Length29 hrs 25 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 22, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Collected Works of Edwin Arnold: Buddhism & Hinduism Writings, Poetical Works & Plays (Annotated)
26Book the Fifth
2Introduction
27Book The Sixth
3Historical Context
28Book The Seventh
4Synopsis (Selection)
29Book The Eigth
5The Essence of Buddhism
30Indian Poetry
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6PREFACE.
31The Indian Song of Songs.
7COMPILER'S PROEM.
32Miscellaneous Oriental Poems.
8THE ESSENCE OF BUDDHISM.
33Two Books From The Iliad Of India.
9Hindu Literature: Comprising The Book of good counsels, Nala and Damayanti
34"Night of Slaughter."
10THE BOOK OF GOOD COUNSELS
35The Morning Prayer.
11Translator's Preface
36Proverbial Wisdom from the Shlokas of the Hitopadesa.
12Introduction
37Proverbial Wisdom From the Shlokas of the Hitopadeśa.
13THE WINNING OF FRIENDS
38The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ (from the Mahâbhârata)
14THE PARTING OF FRIENDS
39Light of the World; or, The Great Consummation
15WAR
40List of Illustrations.
16PEACE
41Proeme.
17NALA AND DAMAYANTI
42AT BETHLEHEM
18Introduction
43BOOK I MARY MAGDALENE
19THE MAHÂBHÂRATA
44Mary Magdalene.
20Death--And Afterwards
45BOOK II THE MAGUS
21The Light of Asia
46The Magus.
22Book The First
47BOOK III THE ALABASTER BOX
23Book The Second
48The Alabaster Box.
24Book The Third
49BOOK IV THE PARABLES
25Book The Fourth
50The Parables.