A history of Telugu literature; - Cristo Raul

80 A HISTORY OF TELUGU LITERATURE
characters of the play are so many pegs to hang elaborate
descriptions upon. There is neither life, development nor
denouement. Suranna clearly perceived the approaching
doom of the kavya, and has sought to inspire the decaying
movement with life. Following the master-dramatists of
Sanskrit, Kalidasa and Bana, he infused a strong dramatic
interest into the kavya. As we follow him our attention is
attracted to the plot and its beauty, not to the poet and his
Suranna creates and evolves ;
dexterity, as in the kavyas.
his characters are life-like, their movements spontaneous,
their conversations natural and the situations tense and vivid.
Unlike the kavya writers, who invariably follow the chronological
sequence of events, Suranna plunges into the middle
of the plot, and makes his characters relate the story.
Prabhavati Pradyumna opens with a beautiful description
of Dwarka, seen in the haze and glow of the morning
sun, from the vimana or flying chariot of Indra high in the
sky. Pingali Suranna's chief title to fame is that he made
a great effort (consciously or unconsciously) to turn the
flood-tide of kavya into drama not that he succeeded
altogether, but he came very near success. He gave us
two kavyas, unique in Telugu literature, which combine
the learning of Peddana and the dramatic interest of
Kalidasa and Bana. It is interesting to note that this poet
was a
recall
contemporary of
to memory the
Shakespeare, and his two plays
two dramas of Shakespeare
Kalapiirnodaya, the Comedy of Errors ; and Prabhavati
Pradyumna^ Romeo and Juliet.
Ramaraja Bhushana, as his name indicates, adorned
the court of Ramaraya. The son-in-law of Krishnadevaraya,
he seems to have served his apprenticeship under
Peddana, and keenly followed the literary career of Pingali
Suranna. By the time the poet started his literary life,
Manucharitra was the praise of the literati of the day, and
Rdghava Pdndaviya was the talk of critics. This
inspired him with an ambition to take the public by storm
with a work which would eclipse the fame of Peddana and
Suranna. He concentrated in his work on the reproduction
of the descriptive excellence of Peddana, and the slesha
novelty introduced by Suranna. In this the poet succeeded