A century ago, pioneering Egyptian Egyptologist Ahmad Kamal Pasha gained little traction for his plea to compare ancient Egyptian with Arabic, a kindred language from within the same phylum (now known as Afro-Asiatic). Moreover, the book traces the discussion and debate surrounding the role of the magazine by investigating the content of the accusations against it implying that the magazine sought to undermine the foundations of Arab heritage represented in standard Arabic ( fuṣḥā) and traditional Arabic poetry.

This debate led to internal conflict among its members, which, in turn, led some of them to leave the magazine, including ’Adūnīs, whose reasons for leaving his editorial position will also be discussed later.The series Studies in Arabic Literature, Supplements to the Journal of Arabic Litrature, founded in 1971, is concerned with all kinds of literary expression in Arabic, including the oral and vernacular traditions, of both the modern and the classical periods. As the title suggests, Harb’s main concern is with the poeticity of language: what makes something poetic? Fayza Haikal, the American University in Cairo {"}Hany Rashwan takes a significant step beyond existing scholarly traditions, revealing typological similarities between ancient Egyptian and Arabic poetics. abstract = "A groundbreaking study of the relationship between ancient Egyptian literary devices and their Arabic counterparts.

The Poetics of Ancient and Classical Arabic Literature argues that old Arabic literature is remarkably coherent in poetical terms and has its own individuality, and that claims of its materialism arise from a failure to grasp the poetic principles of the Arabic tradition. It also explores the essence of the glorification of its role in such a way that renders it a turning point regarding anything pertaining to the development of modern Arabic poetics. Now the time is surely ripe for Hany Rashwan's bold postcolonial challenge--that applying the Arabic concept of wordplay (jinās) to ancient Egyptian texts can yield literary and linguistic insights which have thus far eluded his fellow Egyptologists.The magazine’s interactions apply to both levels as I relate to both its historical impact on Arabic literature during its publication and following its closure, and with the degree of its effectiveness in outlining the characteristics of modern Arabic poetics following its popularity in the Arabic literary arena. If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

This limits Harb’s ability to appreciate the role that the acute persuasiveness of language has in “moving the soul” and evoking wonder. Harb also downplays balāghah’s rhetorical concerns, limiting it only to the function of poetics despite balāghah being defined in terms of persuasion, as knowing the corresponding states of speech to their appropriate contexts (xiii, 255). Hany Rashwan takes a significant step beyond existing scholarly traditions, revealing typological similarities between ancient Egyptian and Arabic poetics.

Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). By bidding on, or purchasing this item, you are agreeing to us sharing your name and address details with that 3rd party supplier to allow us to fulfil our contractual obligations to you. I make the argument in my book that the main aesthetic underlying post-10 th-century classical Arabic literary theory was one of wonder; that is, poetic beauty was evaluated based on the ability of language to evoke an experience of discovery and wonder in the listener. This experience is the emotional pleasure that results from the cognitive process of the discovery of meanings that are strange, unexpected, and require mental effort to apprehend. Harb dedicates admirable space in her preface to both justifying and problematizing her terms, ‘classical,’ ‘Arabic,’ ‘literary,’ and ‘theory.

Studies dealing with the social, political and philosophical backgrounds of Arabic literature are particularly welcome in the series. Most exciting to me would be to see whether there are any engagements with an aesthetic of wonder in literatures in contact with Arabic, such as medieval Persian and Hebrew. Lara Harb shows how a millennium of scholarship in Arabic explained the wonder that readers feel as they journey through images in poetry: emotional experience catalyzed by formal innovation.Disputing traditional interpretations by arguing that Arabic literature can only be assessed from within, and not through comparison with other literary traditions, this book is of interest to students and scholars of Islamic Studies, Arabic Studies and Literary Studies. Calendar arrived safely in plastic-free packaging - which I've not seen before with a calendar, so kudos for that.