Masterpieces of Pre-Modern Arabic Literature in Translation

(4 Credits)

This course explores a selection of canonical and non-canonical works of literature from pre-Islamic Arabia to the so-called 19th-century Arab Renaissance. Through this course students will examine poetic and prosaic texts, while revising their understanding of literary genres and categories, especially in relation to the tradition of Arabic literature. Students will also learn about the major approaches to the study of this literary tradition, while immersing themselves in its rich language, imagery and historical moment. Readings include selections from: pre-Islamic heroic poetry; Umayyad love poetry; Abbasid courtly poetry and its influence on the Andalus; libertine poetry in all its registers from the early Abbasid to the Mamluk period. Prose literature will include the Qur'an; hadith; apocrypha of the prophets; picaresque maqāmāt; The Arabian Nights; and proto-novels from the 19th century.