Self and imagery in the Ainkurunuru poems – based on Jacques Lacan

Abstract

Sangam literature stands as a treasure trove that reveals the life and culture of the Tamils ​​to the world. These literary works have permeated the hearts of the Tamils ​​through symbols. The Sangam poets have depicted the lives of the hero and heroine through imagery. They have expressed their imaginative abilities by using natural objects as symbols for emotions of love. The fundamental basis for these symbols is language. It is this language that contains the signifiers. This is what Jacques Lacan refers to as encompassing everything. Jacques Lacan is a significant figure in psychology after Freud. His concepts of signifier and signified have had a profound impact on psychology. In this context, this article examines the role of language in the Sangam-era human life, which is structured by signifiers and signifieds, and the expressions of the hero and heroine through signifiers, based on the poems of Ainkurunuru.