Recognition in the Arabic Narrative Tradition: Discovery, Deliverance and Delusion

According to Aristotle, a well-crafted recognition scene is one of the basic constituents of a successful narrative. It is the point when hidden facts and identities come to light--in the classic instance, a son discovers in horror that his wife is his mother and his children are his siblings. Aristotle coined the term 'anagn?risis' for the concept. In this book Philip F. Kennedy shows how 'recognition' is key to an understanding of how one reads values and meaning into, or out of, a story. He analyses texts and motifs fundamental to the Arabic literary tradition in five case studies: the Qur'an; the biography of Muhammad; Joseph in classical and medieval re-tellings; the 'deliverance from adversity' genre and picaresque narratives.

Author: Philip F. Kennedy
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Published: 02/22/2018
Series: Edinburgh Studies in Classical Arabic Literature
Pages: 368
Weight: 1.1lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781474432177