Several layers in the work, including one originating in Baghdad and one larger and later, written in Egypt, were distinguished in 1887 by August Müller. It is clear that the expressions “A Thousand Tales” and “A Thousand and One…” were intended merely to indicate a large number and were taken literally only later, when stories were added to make up the number.īy the 20th century, Western scholars had agreed that the Nights is a composite work consisting of popular stories originally transmitted orally and developed during several centuries, with material added somewhat haphazardly at different periods and places. It is next mentioned in 947 by al-Masʿūdī in a discussion of legendary stories from Iran, India, and Greece, as the Persian Hazār afsāna, “A Thousand Tales,” “called by the people ‘A Thousand Nights’.” In 987 Ibn al-Nadīm adds that Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbdūs al-Jahshiyārī began a collection of 1,000 popular Arabic, Iranian, Greek, and other tales but died (942) when only 480 were written. The first known reference to the Nights is a 9th-century fragment. The tales’ variety and geographical range of origin-India, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and possibly Greece-make single authorship unlikely this view is supported by internal evidence-the style, mainly unstudied and unaffected, contains colloquialisms and even grammatical errors such as no professional Arabic writer would allow. ![]() Though the names of its chief characters are Iranian, the frame story is probably Indian, and the largest proportion of names is Arabic. Was Harry Potter’s Quidditch broom a Nimbus 2000? From Don Quixote to Frankenstein, grab hold of these questions and take flight through the world of literary characters. The stories are so entertaining, and the king so eager to hear the end, that he puts off her execution from day to day and finally abandons his cruel plan. Each evening she tells a story, leaving it incomplete and promising to finish it the following night. His vizier, however, has two daughters, Shahrazad (Scheherazade) and Dunyazad and the elder, Shahrazad, having devised a scheme to save herself and others, insists that her father give her in marriage to the king. Then, loathing all womankind, he marries and kills a new wife each day until no more candidates can be found. Its scene is Central Asia or “the islands or peninsulae of India and China,” where King Shahryar, after discovering that during his absences his wife has been regularly unfaithful, kills her and those with whom she has betrayed him. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!Īladdin Saluted Her with Joy, illustration by Virginia Frances Sterrett from a 1928 edition of The Arabian Nights.Īs in much medieval European literature, the stories- fairy tales, romances, legends, fables, parables, anecdotes, and exotic or realistic adventures-are set within a frame story. ![]() Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |