Nature, Culture and Gender

P. Mary Vidya Porselvi is Assistant Professor of English, Loyola College, Chennai, India, and was previously Lecturer in the Department of English at Stella Maris College (2000�03), Chennai. She obtained her BA, MA and PhD degrees from Stella Maris College, and recently completed the University Grants Commission projectTranslation of Folktales with Ecofeminist Concerns from Tamil to English. She has authored two English workbooks: Affirmative Words and Radiant Expressions (2012) and Cornucopia: English Language Learning through World Folklore (2013).

• Preface Acknowledgement Introduction 1. Mother Earth Discourse 2. The Creator and the Created 3. Silences and Speech 4. Food, Household and Sisterhood 5. Trees and Forest 6. Land and Water 7. Birds and Animals Conclusion Glossary Bibliography Index

‘The selection of Indian folktales is very interesting and shows what a rich vein of knowledge is stored by ordinary (and some very extraordinary) people. Highly original is the classification of tales as: Isis Panthea, Amma-I-Appan, Her-Meta, Athena’s Wit, Annamangai, Sis-Tie, Woody-Woman, Vana-Devi, Tellus-Ma, Aqua-Stree, Aves-Eve and Fauna-Fem. Each of these classificatory names shows a sense of humour embedded in deep poetic and symbolic understanding of the mythic oral tradition. The author combines linguistic knowledge along with an understanding of the hidden mother lode of the story seam.’Susan Hawthorne, Adjunct Professor, James Cook University, Australia