A History of Indian Literature v3.c35.s13.5

v3.c35.s13.5

The stories that are narrated within this frame have very colourful contents. J. J. Meyer¹ has called the Daśakumāracarita a “Schelmenroman (knaves’ fiction)” and Pischel² a “Sittenroman (moral fiction)” and likewise one may call it also a “tale-fiction”. Some of the stories of are knave’s fictions, so the stories of Apahāravarman, Upahāravarman and Arthapāla, that are full of intrigues, knaveries and scoundrel’s activities. Hertel calls it a “political fiction”, and in his opinion it is a narrative work meant for instruction, like the Tantrākhyāyika. But this does not appear to be correct. Although the poet has occasionally shown his knowledge of arthaśāstra, still he has planned his work as a light literature.