- Department: English and Related Literature
- Credit value: 30 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Medieval Arabic and Persian literature produced some of the most enduring literary narratives known today, from the aesopic animal fables of Kalila wa Dimna, the lovesick Layla wa Majnun to the frame-tale narratives of the 1001 Nights. Together, they represent a global phenomenon of medieval literary history: narratives that were translated, transformed and adapted across the broadly defined Silk Roads only to be later absorbed into pan-European narratives, both medieval and modern. This module explores a selection of the most influential of these Arabic and Persian texts, from fables to epics, frame-tale narratives to romance, mysticism to philosophy.
We will examine some of the earliest conceptions of love and madness, animals discussing morality, the philosophical chitters of birds and stories that have the power to save lives. Along the way we will encounter a young Indian Buddha, the Persian Alexander, Scheherazade and a range of female Arabic poets, culminating with the magnus opus of the renowned Rumi. We will explore the social, cultural and intellectual contexts that fostered this literary production and ask how and why these literatures attracted a broad readership across vast geographies, cultures and religions both within and beyond the East. This means we will examine the nature of inter and cross-cultural exchange on a global scale. In some seminars we will explore connections and comparisons with European writers, including Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Goethe, and explore their position in the theoretical fields of orientalism and contemporary world literature.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Spring Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23 |
The aim of the module is to introduce students to a selection of the most influential literature produced in Arabic and Persian from the classical to the late medieval period (c. 700-1400); to develop their understanding of literary production, both poetry and prose, paying attention to the social, cultural, religious and intellectual diversity of these geographies; to examine the global role of translation, adaptation, and inter and cross-cultural exchange within and beyond the so-called ‘Islamic World’, and to introduce students to beginners’ Arabic.
On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 70 |
Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 30 |
None
You will be given the opportunity to hand in a 1000 word formative essay in week 1 of the summer term. Material from this essay may be re-visited in your summative essay and it is therefore an early chance to work through material that might be used in assessed work.
This essay will be submitted in hard copy and your tutor will annotate it and return it two weeks later (usually in your week 3 seminar). Summary feedback will be uploaded to your eVision account.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 70 |
Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 30 |
REading will be provided nearer the start of the module but is likely to include:
1001 Nights, The Adventures of Sayf ben dhi Yazan,
Nizami, Layla wa Majnun,
Ferdowsi, Shahnameh,
Ibn Tufayl, Hayy ibn Yaqzan,
Farid Attar, Conference of the Birds,
Rumi, Masnavi (selected.).