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 'anagnorisis' 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
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Published: 02/22/2018
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.00d
ISBN13: 9781474432177
ISBN10: 1474432174
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Comparative Literature
- Religion | Islam | Koran & Sacred Writings
- Literary Criticism | African

About the Author

Philip F. Kennedy is Professor of Arabic Literature at New York University. He is author of The Wine Song in Classical Arabic Poetry: Abu Nuwas and the literary tradition (1997) and General Editor of the Library of Arabic Literature, a joint project of the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute and NYU Press.