The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was

Many cultures have stories about people who masquerade as themselves or, more precisely, who pretend to be other people pretending to be them. In this book, noted scholar of Hinduism and mythology Wendy Doniger offers a cross-cultural exploration of this theme. Drawing on myths, plays, novels, operas, and films, she traces the mythology of self-imitation from Ancient India to modern Hollywood. Drawing on sources as diverse as the Mahabharata, As You Like It, and Total Recall, Doniger explores the symbolism of self-imitation, memory and amnesia, and identity. She argues for both the literary power and the human value of the mask that reveals the truth, the mask beneath the mask, the self beneath the self. The result is a fascinating and learned trip through centuries of culture, guided by a scholar of incomparable wit and erudition.