This book concerns illustrations of the Ramayana, an epic poem with epic implications for contemporary India. Familiar to most Indians, the Ramayana is an ever-evolving tale of a prince, his bride, demons - their adventures and dilemmas. Williams studies the art of Orissa, where she interviewed artists and observed their methods. Orissa is located in rich rice-growing plains along the eastern coast between Bengal and Andhra, a region known for its elegantly carved and architecturally ambitious temples.

Williams breaks new ground in considering Indian pictures as sequences that tell a story in distinctive ways. Her narratological study considers many familiar genres of visual art - illustrated manuscripts, drawings on palm-leaf paper, wall paintings, shadow plays, temple sculpture, painted cloth patas, and other popular and fine art. Williams points out that we often treat images designed to be seen in sequence as separate pictures.

Instead, she argues that for a series with narrative content, we must consider several images in sequence to understand how the story is told. To restrict oneself only to formal analysis is to omit dramatic qualities such as variety, surprise, and emotional development sustained over a sequence of images. Williams analyzes various works of the Ramayana scene by scene, discusses narrative strategies used by artists, and then offers interpretations of how and why the artists made their choices.

1. Writing with elegant simplicity and clarity, Williams compares and analyzes across a variety of genres, offering a new model for art historians and other scholars. Anthropologists, folklorists, and scholars of literature and narratology will also find her work of value. The study is enhanced by a rich illustration program, including twelve images in color.