Arabic Literature, Hebrew Literature (500-1500) (NEJS 124a, 2014)
Professor Jonathan Decter
Office: Lown 310
Office Hours: Thurs, 10-12
x62960
Since before the rise of Islam, Arabic was a powerful literary language in the Arabian Peninsula for pagans, Christians, and Jews. The spread of Islam brought the Arabic language, and its literature, to populations from Spain to Iraq, where literary traditions continued to evolve. As Jews became Arabic speakers, they became major consumers of Arabic literature and sometimes composed in Arabic themselves. More than this, Jews recreated Hebrew literature under the impact of Arabic literature, giving rise to new Hebrew forms for use within the synagogue and in a range of social settings. In this course, students will gain a broad overview of the evolution of classical Arabic literature, both poetry and prose, and will study in detail the transformation of Hebrew literature through its encounter with Arabic literature. Part of the course is dedicated to providing a literary history (focusing on select texts in their contexts) and part of the course will be a comparative analysis of given Arabic and Hebrew genres. The readings are taught in English translation and opportunities will be provided for students interested in reading texts in Arabic or Hebrew.
Evaluation:
There are 2 short papers and one longer research paper.
Short papers (each worth 25% of final grade) – Each short paper (3-4 pages) should be an analysis/response to a specific primary text that we read in class. Your goal is to offer a close reading that shows engagement with the text. Support your reading with textual references.
Long paper (40% of final grade) – This is a research paper (12-15 pages) in which you may pursue a topic of your choice in consultation with the professor. You may choose to expand upon a subject that we cover in class or develop your own topic. It is expected that the paper will deal with both Arabic and Hebrew writing. You are expected to treat primary and secondary sources.
Class participation (10% of final grade) – You are expected to come to class well prepared and ready to discuss topics for the day and general themes of the course. Preparation of Hebrew texts is essential.
Books for purchase:
Robert Irwin, Night and Horses and the Desert: An Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature (Anchor Books)
Raymond Scheindlin, The Gazelle: Hebrew Poems on God, Israel and the Soul (Oxford)
Peter Cole, The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew Poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain (Princeton)
The Arabian Nights, trans. Hussein Haddawy (Norton)
Jonathan Decter, Iberian Jewish Literature: Between al-Andalus and Christian Europe
Course units and readings
I. Arabic Poetry in the Pre-Islamic Period
Irwin, pp. 1-30
Suzanne Stetkevych, The Mute Immortals Speak: Pre-Islamic Poetry and the Poetics of Ritual
As-Samual Ibn Adiyya: A Jewish Poet of Arabic in Pre-Islamic Arabia
II. Hebrew Poetry before Islam: The piyyut
Petuchowski, Theology and Poetry: Studies in the Medieval Piyyut, pp. 11-19, 84-110
Ophir Munz Manor, “All About Sarah: Questions of Gender in Yannai’s Poems on
Sarah’s (and Abraham’s) Barrenness” (Latte)
T. Carmi, The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse, pp. 209-32
Michael Swartz and Joseph Yahalom, Avodah: An Anthology of Ancient Poetry for Yom Kippur (introduction and chapter one)
III. Early Islamic Poetry
Irwin, pp. 30-147
A.F.L. Beeston, Arabic Literature to the End of the Umayyad Period, chapters 1-2
IV. Arabic Poetry in the Umayyad Period
Beeston, chapters 3-5
V. Arabic Poetry and Prose in Abbasid Iraq
Irwin, 30-147
Julia Ashtiany, ‘Abbasid Belles-Lettres
VI. Hebrew Poetry in Abbasid Iraq
Raymond Scheindlin, “Merchants and Intellectuals, Rabbis and Poets: Jewish Intellectuals in the Golden Age of Islam”
Joseph Tobi, “Saadia Gaon: Poet Paytan: The Link Between the Ancient Piyyut and the Arabicised Poetry of the East”
Carmi, 253-74
VII. Arabic Poetry in al-Andalus (Islamic Spain)
Irwin, 244-314
The Literature of al-Andalus, eds. Menocal, Scheindlin, and Sells, chapters 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15
IX. Hebrew Poetry in al-Andalus
Jonathan Decter, “Literatures of Medieval Sepharad”
Ross Brann, The Compunctious Poet, chapter 1
Raymond Scheindlin, The Gazelle
Raymond Scheindlin, Wine, Women and Death
Dan Pagis, “Individuality and the Poetic Tradition”
Cole, The Dream of the Poem, part I
The Literature of al-Andalus, chapters 11, 12, 24
X. Thematic comparisons of Arabic and Hebrew Poetry
Panegyric
Love Poetry
Garden and Wine Poetry
Estrangement
Religious Poetry
XI. Classical Arabic Fiction
The Literature of al-Andalus, chapter 8
Ibn al-Muqaffa, Kalila wa Dimna, selections
The Arabian Nights, selections (trans. Hadawy)
Maqamat of al-Hamadhani (trans. Prendergrast), Maqamat of al-Hariri, trans. Chenery
XII. Arabized Hebrew Fiction
Decter, Iberian Jewish Literature
Judah al-Harizi, The Book of Tahkemoni, selections
Jacob Ben Elazar, The Book of Stories, selections
Isaac Ibn Sahula, Meshal ha-Qadmoni, selections