Classical Reception in Three Modern Sri Lankan Anglophone Female Poets

Abstract

Sri Lanka's first encounters with the Greek and Roman world occurred in the fourth century BC. The classical education tradition in Sri Lanka began with the arrival of Portuguese in 1505/06. However, no extensive research has examined the evolution of classical education in Sri Lanka from its introduction to the modern day. Classical reception in Sri Lanka is also a little explored topic. In such a context, I examine the classical reception in three modern Sri Lankan Anglophone female poets and demonstrate how they are influenced by the classical education tradition in Sri Lanka. I use Lorna Hardwick's concept of 'fuzzy connections' to explain the presence of classical motifs in the poems of the three poets. I show how their different connections with the field of Classics and their cultural concepts nurture their reception of classical material. In this thesis, I examine selected poems of Jean Arasanayagam (1931-2009), Kamala Wijeratne (1939), and Kamani Jayasekara (1959) that use classical themes and motifs for the purpose of self-reflection and to explore contemporary socio-political issues. Arasanayagam's Dutch colonial family ties and her experiences of the civil war as a person married to a Tamil, influence her conflicted attitudes towards the study of Classics and her adaptation of classical material. Although Wijeratne's educational background in Classics is unknown, many of her poems about war and women use classical references. The use of classical representations allows Wijeratne to offer a broader perspective on the Sri Lankan civil war, which is not solely dictated by her ethnic allegiance. Jayasekara, who is a professor of Classics, often offers comparative perspectives on the aspects of the ancient world and her contemporary cultural context and life experiences. Her poetry also critiques classical texts and motifs. I argue that the three poets' different connections with Classics, particularly through the classical education tradition in Sri Lanka, and their contemporary social, political, and cultural context influence their adaptation and reinterpretation of ancient texts and themes in their poetry. Show more