Women's Voices and Emotional Experiences in the Akam Poems of Sangam Avvai

Abstract

The name Avvai occupies a significant yet complex position in the history of Tamil literature, as several women poets from different historical periods are associated with this name. This has led to scholarly discussions concerning their identities, historical contexts, and literary contributions. In contemporary literary studies, where feminist criticism has brought renewed attention to women's experiences and representation, examining the linguistic and intellectual traditions of Sangam Avvai provides an important opportunity to understand the development of women's voices and perspectives in early Tamil literature. Her poetry offers valuable insights into the representation of female subjectivity and women's social position within the historical and cultural context of the Sangam period. This study examines the representations of women's status and experiences in the akam poems attributed to Sangam Avvai. Of the 59 poems attributed to her, the study focuses on the 26 poems identified with the akam tradition. Adopting a feminist literary perspective, it analyses how women's inner emotions, love experiences, psychological responses, interpersonal relationships, and domestic responsibilities are represented in these poems. Particular attention is given to the ways in which female characters express their desires, negotiate emotional relationships, and experience their positions within the domestic sphere. The study also considers how Avvai's poetic language and narrative perspectives contribute to the articulation of women's voices within the conventions of akam poetry. The study argues that the akam poems of Sangam Avvai provide significant insights into women's emotional worlds and their lived experiences within domestic and social structures. Through the representation of female subjectivity, the poems reveal the complexity of women's positions in Sangam society and demonstrate the importance of women's poetic voices in understanding early Tamil gender relations. Thus, this study highlights the contribution of Sangam Avvai's poetry to the literary history of women's expression, identity, and social experience.