ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates the pitfalls of diachronic dissection of "The Greatness of the Goddess (DM)", and outlines a solid strategy for synchronically grappling with the work. It examines the DM through philological and historicist lenses, and the text through the lens of ritual and tantric studies. The chapter traces the scholarly legacy of diachronic dissection, owing to the influence of H. H. Wilson and his colonial contemporaries. It proceeds to trace the impact of this legacy upon DM scholarship proper: in addition to historicist and philological dissection of the text, the author finds it used for the purposes of tantric and ritual studies, along with ethnographic research. Geared toward properly probing that world, the chapter unpacks the tools whereby the author may do so, most importantly Umberto Eco's theoretical foundation on the function of narrative, and Mary Douglas' work on narrative ring composition. The scholarly trajectory established by this diachronic thrust has proven most influential.
