COMP 233
Introduction to Classical Arabic Literature
Last Offered Spring 2013
Division I Writing Skills
This course is not offered in the current catalog

In this course we will examine the rich, complex and diverse texts of Classical Arabic Literature. The readings include works that have achieved notoriety outside of the Arab world (such as the Quran and One Thousand and One Nights) as well as works by authors largely unknown outside of the Arab world but canonical in Arabic-language culture such as Imru al-Qays, al-Jahiz, al-Ma’arri, Abu Nuwas, al-Hallaj, al-Ghazali and al-Mutannabi. Women’s literature in this course includes works by al-Khansa’, known for her elegies, and by Wallada bint al-Mustakfi of Cordoba, who contributed to the courtly love poetry of both Europe and the Arab world. Topics for discussion include theological and philosophical queries, erotica, wine, bibliomania and avarice. Our primary texts represent such varied regions as the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Abbasid Baghdad, North Africa and Islamic Spain. Chronologically, the texts range from the sixth century CE to the fourteenth century. All readings are in English.