Introduction to Arabic Literature Fall 2020 MEL 321 / CL 323 / MES 342 / ISL 373 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00-12:30 pm Dr. Avigail Noy [email protected]

TTH 11:00-12:30

I. Course description: An introduction to Arabic literature from ancient Arabian poetry to modern Palestinian novels. Students will familiarize themselves with the major themes, genres, and writers of literary masterpieces written in Arabic from the 6th century to the late 20th century. Topics include desert poetry, the Qur’an, medieval Muslim court literature, popular literature, Arabic poetics, travel literature, and the emergence of modern Western genres, with a focus on Palestinian literature as a test-case. We will engage first-hand with Imru’ al-Qays’ Qifa Nabki, al-Jahiz’s Books of Misers, Ibn Hazm’s theories about love, Mahmoud Darwish’s I Come from There, and Emile Habiby’s The Pessoptimist. All readings are in English. No prior knowledge of Islam or Arabic is necessary.

II. Texts: - Robert Irwin, Night & Horses & the Desert (Anchor Books, 2002) - Geert Jan van Gelder, Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology (NYU Press, 2013) - Emile Habiby, The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist, trans. Le Gassick & Jayyusi

Further Resources: - The Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second Edition & THREE) https://referenceworks- brillonline-com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/cluster/Encyclopaedia%20of%20Islam?s.num=0 - The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, volumes 1-6: (1) Arabic Literature to the End of the Umayyad Period; (2) ‘Abbasid Belles-Lettres; (3) Religion, Learning and Science in the ‘Abbasid Period; (4) The Literature of al-Andalus; (5) Arabic Literature in the Post-Classical Period; (6) Modern Arabic Literature. - The Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature, eds. Meisami and Starkey, 2 volumes (1998).

III. Course Requirements: Attendance and class preparation are crucial. Preparation consists of a close reading of the Arabic texts in translation as well as the secondary sources. Brief notetaking (like bullet-points, etc.) can be helpful in keeping the important details and arguments in mind. Participation includes responding to questions, raising questions, commenting on fellow-students’ remarks, posting on Canvas, etc. Brief weekly responses are due 10:00 am most Tuesdays before class begins (200-300 words), to be submitted via email to the instructor. The purpose of the responses

Noy, Intro. to Arabic Lit. is to get students thinking; there are no right or wrong answers (up to three unsubmitted answers will be excused). Students are expected to prepare one or more oral presentations (~10 min.) either on a primary text, secondary source (article, encyclopedia entry, book chapter, etc.), author, or personal research. A mid-term essay is due (800-1000 words [2-3 pages]), date TBD. We will have a “library session” to facilitate personal research. A final essay/paper is due at the end of the semester (~ 2000 words), date TBD. The essays are either responses to open questions or an exploration of a topic of the student’s choosing.

Attendance, preparation, and participation: 30% Weekly responses (most weeks): 10% Presentation(s): 10% Mid-term essay: 20% Final essay: 30%

Services for Students with Disabilities Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 512-471-6259 (voice) or 512-410-6644 (Videophone) as soon as possible to request an official letter outlining authorized accommodations. For more information, visit http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability/about/

Counseling and Mental Health Center Do your best to maintain a balanced lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress. If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/individualcounseling.html

Covid-19 addendum The Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHM) will provide counseling via telehealth until further notice: 512-471-3515 for business hours and 512-471-225 for 24/7 hotline.

Extensions Extensions will be granted upon prior request, normally 48 hours. Covid-19 accommodations will be granted.

Global Cultures This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

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IV. Course Schedule:

Week 1 Th 8/27 Introduction

Week 2 Pre-Islamic Desert Poetry 9/1 Background reading: Roger Allen, An Introduction to Arabic Literature, 7-18. Robert Irwin, Night & Horses & the Desert, 1-29 (“Pagan Poets”). Michael Sells, Desert Tracings: Six Classic Arabian Odes, 3-10. Geert Jan van Gelder, Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology, 2-11.

Th 9/3 Ibn Ishaq, from The Life of Muhammad, trans. Guillaume. Albert Lord, from Singer of Tales. Sells, Desert Tracings, 21-31.

Week 3 Qur’an as Literature T 9/8 Irwin, 30-41. Michael Sells, from Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations. Michael Cook, from The Koran: A very short introduction. Sura 15, Sura 55 (trans. Abdel Haleem).

Th 9/10 Mustansir Mir, “The Qur’an as Literature.” Sura 2. Angelika Neuwirth, “Structural, linguistic and literary features,” in Cambridge Companion to the Qur’an.

Week 4 Hadith as a Literary Model T 9/15 Bukhari, Sahih, book 62. Shahab Ahmed, “Ḥadīth I. General introduction.” Ibn Hisham, from The Life of Muhammad. van Gelder, “A Pre-Islamic Tale.” Pomerantz and Orfali, “Ibn Fāris and the origins of the Maqāmah Revisited.”

Th 9/17 Gérard Genette, from Narrative discourse. van Gelder, “Lives of the poets: al-Farazdaq tells the story of Imru’ al-Qays.”

Week 5 Early Ghazal and Court Literature T 9/22 Irwin, 42-67 (Umayyad poetry).

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van Gelder, 15-33. Renate Jacobi, “Theme and variations in Umayyad ghazal poetry.” Abdelfattah Kilito, from The Author and His Doubles.

Th 9/24 Irwin, 75-83. Kalila and Dimna, trans. Knatchbull, “The rat and the cat.” Abdelfattah Kilito, from Arabs and the Art of Storytelling.

Week 6 Adab T 9/29 Irwin, 68-117 (minus Kalila wa-Dimna). van Gelder, selections from Adab anthologies. Sadan, “Hārūn al-Rashīd and the brewer.”

Th 10/1 Al-Jahiz, from The Book of Misers. Fedwa Malti-Douglas, “Humor and structure in two Buḫalāʾ anecdotes.”

Week 7 “Modern” Poetry (Abbasid) T 10/6 Irwin, 117-147. van Gelder, 34-48. Khaled El-Rouayheb, from Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World.

Th 10/8 Irwin, 216-229. van Gelder, 61-66. J. D. Latham, “Toward a better understanding of al-Mutanabbī’s poem on the battle of al-Ḥadath”

Week 8 The Maqama T 10/13 Irwin, 148-186. Hamadhani, Maqamat, trans. Prendergast, 85-88. Cf. Pomerantz trans. van Gelder, 245-247. J.A. Garrido Ardila, “Origins and definitions of the picaresque genre.”

Th 10/15 Irwin, 186-193. Hariri, Preface & first two maqamat, trans. Chenery. Matthew Keegan, “Levity Makes the Law: Islamic Legal Riddles.”

Week 9 Poetics and Literary Criticism T 10/20 van Gelder, 277-280.

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Al-Ṣūlī, from The Life and Times of Abū Tammām, trans. Gruendler. Lara Harb, Arabic Poetics, chapter 1.

Th 10/22 van Gelder, 281-296. Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K. on the art of stand-up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k

Week 10 Worldly and Otherworldly Literature T 10/27 Irwin, 193-203, 290-300. Irwin, 314-349. van Gelder, 255-276.

Th 10/29 Muqaddasi, Best Divisions, trans. Collins, 148-167. Daniel Newman, “Arabic Travel Writing.”

Week 11 The 1,001 Nights T 11/3 Irwin, 365-417. Arafat Razzaque, “Who ‘wrote’ Aladdin? The forgotten Syrian storyteller,” https://ajammc.com/2017/09/14/who-wrote-aladdin/

Th 11/5 Alexander Korda, The Thief of Baghdad (1940; 106 min.) [pending access] Arafat Razzaque, “Who was the ‘real’ Aladdin?” https://ajammc.com/2017/08/10/who-was-the-real-aladdin/

Week 12 Literature of the Nahda T 11/10 Shidyāq, Leg Over Leg (1855), selections. Muwayliḥī, What ʿĪsā Ibn Hishām Told Us (1898-1902), selections. Yoav Di-Capua, “Nahda,” in The Cambridge Companion to Modern Arab Culture.

Th 11/12 Waddah al-Khatib, “Rewriting History, Unwriting Literature: Shawqī’s Mirror- Image Response to Shakespeare.” Akiku Sumi, “Poetry and Architecture: A Double Imitation in the Sīniyya of Aḥmad Shawqī” (translation of the poem, 78-87). Aḥmad Shawqī, EI3 (Terri DeYoung). With Umm Kulthum: https://www.youm7.com/story/2019/10/14/%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%88- %D8%A3%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A3%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%89- %D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B1- %D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D9%88%D9%82%D9%89-

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Week 13 Modern Poetry and Short Stories T 11/17 Nazik al-Mala’ika, in: Boullata, Women of the Fertile Crescent. Selections of Palestinian poetry, in: Jayyusi. Darwish, from Why Did you Leave the Horse Alone? Tamim al-Barghouthi, “In Jerusalem” (2007): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZTSLDVeH5M Robert Creswell, “Nazik al-Mala’ika and the Poetics of Pan-Arabism”+appendix.

Th 11/19 Naguib Mahfouz, “Zaabalawi.”

Week 14 The Novel T 11/24 Emile Habiby, The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist (trans. Jayyusi & LeGassick).

Th 11/26 Thanksgiving break—No class

Week 15 The Novel cont’d & Course Wrap-Up [remote] T 12/1 Wail Hassan, “Towards a theory of the Arabic novel.” Fredric Jameson, “Third-world literature in the era of multinational capitalism.”

Th 12/3 Elliott Colla, “Field Construction.”

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