Abstract: | The monograph "Hand Gestures in Traditional Indian Theatre" deals with a traditional Indian acting style, particularly with hand gestures. Its focus lies in a specific form of actor-viewer communication, a communication conducted by means of mudras, or symbolic hand positions. Mudras make up an autonomous language system that can express every single thought or emotion. The research is based on ancient and contemporary theatre literature in Sanskrit, English and French, chiefly on poetics and acting manuals, and on contemporary practice of traditional theatre and dance in India. The most important sources of the research were the kootiyattam and kathakali theatres. |
