Women of the Kakawin World : Marriage and Sexuality in the Indic Courts of Java and Bali

The lives and mores of women in one of the least understood but most densely populated areas of the world are unveiled through the eyes of generations of court poets. The work examines the idealized images of women and sexuality in Javanese and Balinese culture and provides insights into cultural practices such as the self-immolation of widows.