A Comparative Study of Poetic Language and Aesthetic Thought in Medieval Indian and English Romantic Poetry

Abstract

This scholarly inquiry pursues a cross-cultural analysis of poetic diction and aesthetic theory in English Romantic poetry and the Indian Medieval era, with special reference to the theoretical paradigm of Keshavadasa. Building on concepts like Rasa, i.e. aesthetic emotion, Bhava, i.e. emotive state or psychological condition, and the fourfold typology of poetry. This research investigates representative works of William Wordsworth, Keats, Blake, and Coleridge from an Indian aesthetic perspective. Adopting a qualitative textual methodology, the paper scrutinises stylistic elements and formal characteristics, figurative devices and foundational philosophical perspectives across the two traditions. The analysis demonstrates substantial similarities, affective articulation, depiction of nature and authorial intent, while simultaneously foregrounding foundational divergencies in metaphysical foundations and universal aesthetic principles. The paper advocates the relevance and utility of Indian aesthetic theory in intercultural literary analysis, thus contributing to the decolonisation of literary criticism and extending the horizons of comparative literary studies.