| Summary/Abstract |
This article deals with an 1849 semi-autobiographical manuscript, ‘Ishqnama, from Avadh (present-day Uttar Pradesh), to explore the courtly politics of the last nawab (ruler) of Avadh, Wajid ‘Ali Shah. I argue that, in the ‘Ishqnama, a language of love and sex exists and portends a logic of political comportment and control between ruler and lover, ruler and servant. After surveying the importance and meaning of the manuscript during Wajid ‘Ali Shah's reign, I examine the dissemination of the handwritten manuscript via lithograph copies, tracing the specific textual and visual elements that have been obfuscated and manipulated in the transition from a handwritten design to print technology. I argue that the political content of the ‘Ishqnama has been neglected because of the material differences between the lithograph copies and the manuscript format and because of the sexual nature of the ‘Ishqnama narrative.
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