This book is the first in any language to follow the evolution of rasa, or taste, the word Indian intellectuals chose to describe art's aesthetics. A Rasa Reader ranges from rasa's origins in dramaturgical thought-a concept for the stage-to its flourishing in literary thought-a concept for the page. In his thorough critical introduction, Pollock draws connections between Sanskrit scholars and Western aesthetic theory, offering a detailed history of the ways many writers have deployed "rasa" as a concept. . .Complete with a detailed glossary of Sanskrit terms and extensive notes, Pollock's volume invites Western scholars into the world of classical Indian aesthetic thought, beginning with texts focused on drama and poetry and expanding into the fields of music, painting, and architecture.