In Theravada Man (2009), the second novel by Sri Lankan novelist and playwright Manuka Wijesinghe, mimesis takes over diegetic techniques, and dialogues become prominent, with the aim of effecting a poignant criticism of Sri Lankan ideologies and institutions, namely history and government, as well as of religious and nationalist strictures. This article discusses the critique the novel addresses to the main character, a strict Theravada observant, and reads as a critique to relevant aspects of the country’s political life: where the Iskolemahaththaya fails to see beyond the rationalism inherent to his understanding of Buddhism, the nation governments have systematically failed to acknowledge the plurality and diversity of Sri Lankan cultures. Thus, set in the Ceylon of the 1920s and 30s, Theravada Man explores the inherent contradictions and shortcomings of totalitarian systems of thought, and it does so through the inscription in the narrative of beliefs and philosophies which coexist with Theravada Buddhism, inhabiting the land before the advent of Buddhism and the alleged arrival of Aryans. This paper explores these aspects of the novel, interpreting them as a symptom of Wijesinghe’s anti-essentialist agenda in political terms.
目次
ABSTRACT 217 Introduction 217 Dialogue and humour with a political edge 218 Theravada Buddhism perceived as an exclusionary narrative 220 The Iskolemaththaya as a metaphor for political totalitarianism 222 Occluded narratives: the Hora Sashtra and the strength of nature 224 Competing narratives of origin 226 Conclusions 231 Disclosure statement 233 Funding 233 Notes on contributor 233
