Brief Chronology of Some of the Characteristic Periods and - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Brief Chronology of Some of the Characteristic Periods and “Schools” Arabic Poetry

The Pre-Islamic Era (prior to 622 AD)

The Abbasid-Era Moderns (8

th

-10

th

cen. AD)

Medieval Era (Ottoman Era through the mid-19

th

century)

Neo-Classical Poetry, the “Renaissance” (

nahda

): mid 19

th

century to early 20

th

century

Romantic Era (late 19

th

century through the first half of 20

th

century)

Modern Era, pre-1967 (“

Tammuzi

School”, Symbolism)

Modern Era, post-1967Slide2

Pre-Islamic Era (before 622 AD)

Formal

qasida

structure (rhyme, meter,

hemistichs

)

Formulaic thematic structure

Oral composition and transmission

Poet articulates a collective identity

Poems address specific event or occasion, already known to audience

Poetry serves a vital function: praise, boast, invective, mourning, etc.

Repository of Arabs’ knowledge (history, geography, society, etc.)

Slide3

The Abbasid-Era Moderns (8th-10

th

cen. AD)

Maintains formal requirements of traditional

qasida

Clear, lucid diction

Thoughtful interaction of form, language and meaning

News ideas expressed, some of which subvert conventional themes and topics of Arabic poetry

Both sentimental and “occasional” (

ie

, event based), yet always thought provoking.

Abu

Nuwas

, Abu

Tammam

, al-

Ma’arri

, etc.Slide4

“Conventional” Classical/Medieval Poetry, (Ottoman Era to mid-19th century – “The Era of Literary Decadence”)

Strict maintenance of formal requirements

Complicated word-play, verbal virtuosity, obscure vocabulary

Poetry written for and by the cultural elite; “an exercise of wit” (

Jayysui

, p. 1)

Conventional topics (primarily praise poems) or detailed – nearly microscopic – descriptive poems

“[neglect] for the existential dimensions of the human condition” (

Jayyusi

, p. 1)Slide5

Neo-Classical Poetry, the “Renaissance” (nahda): mid 19

th

century to early 20

th

century

Inspired, somewhat, by perceived gap between Western political, military, technological, and cultural progress and Arab cultural, political, etc. “stagnation”

Awakened interest in Arab poetic heritage; reinvigorate traditional poetics

Maintenance of classical-era, formal requirements (rhyme, meter,

hemistichs

)

Rejection of obscure and overwrought lexical and metaphoric diction

Address topics pertinent to the lived existence of modern (19

th

-early 20

th

century) Arabs

Political content; at times critical of authorities (political and religious), yet never “revolutionary”; renewal, not rejection, of indigenous social and political systems

Balance between form and function, beauty and clarity, emotion and reason; strong, clear, and direct oratorical style

Ahmad

Shawqi

, “Prince of the Poets”Slide6

Romantic Era (late 19th century through the first half of 20

th

century)

Took root amongst Arab poets living abroad (in the US/NYC and South America) – the

mahjar

(“ex-pat community”)

Inspired from Western romantic-era poetry and American transcendentalism (Walt Whitman, for instance), and adapted themes and ideas from non-Arab sources

Dissatisfaction with conventional formal requirements of Arabic poetry (uniform meter, uniform rhyme, hemistich line structure); rejection of “sterile” and “moribund” conventions

Emphasis on emotional world of the poet, rejection of material, Earthly matters – poetry a reflection of the poet’s soul, not his corporeal state

Deeply sentimental, dealt with existential matters (often in a heavy-handed manner); unremittingly sincere and earnest

Imbued with spiritualism and contemplation, “Eastern spiritualism” vs. “Western materialism”; a yearning for spiritual transcendence, often expressed through the metaphoric language of the lover and beloved.

Diction that is “modern, elegant, and original”; “imagery that was evocative and imbued with a healthy measure of emotion (

Jayyusi

, p. 5).

Revolutionary in its confrontation of social taboos; not, however, overtly political. Strong advocacy for women’s rights.

Khalil Gibran,

Mikha’il

Nu’ayma

, Amin al-

Rihani

(all based in NYC, originally from Lebanon)Slide7

Modern Era, pre-1967 (“Tammuzi School”, Symbolism)

Outright rejection of formal strictures of the

qasida

: no more unifying rhyme, no more unifying meter, no more hemistich lines (The Free Verse Movement –

Nazik

Mala’ika

)

Addresses present through Islamic and Near Eastern mythological motifs (inspired by Frazier’s

The Golden Bough

to look for primordial themes that undergird all human experience)

Consciously experimental; “The directness, rationality, and traditionalism of the neoclassical school were transcended, as were the dilution, flabbiness, sentimentality and spleen of Romanticism” (

Jayyusi

, p. 7)

In dialogue with Western literary theory and poetic models (T.S. Eliot, Yeats, etc.); happily draws from a broader human poetic culture – East and West.

“Conjured meaning through the musicality of words” (

Jayyusi

, p. 6), i.e.,

language integration

(see Culler, p. 29); “”calm pace, gemlike selection of words, harmonious compositions, and gentle rhythms” (

Jayyusi

, p. 11); clarity of language (even if references to mythology or western literary figures remained beyond the ken of casual readers).

Topically and thematically fragmented; deliberate opacity evokes sense of disorientation and confusion of Arab world; however, atmosphere of gloom leavened by potential for rebirth and renewal; inspired by the successes of Arab nationalist movements in the face of foreign colonization; “a deep faith in the in the possibility of human struggle to bring about the final triumph of freedom and justice” (

Jayyusi

, p. 21)

Abd

al-

Wahhab

al-

Bayati

, Adonis,

Badr

Shakir

al-

SayyabSlide8

Modern Era, post-1967

Disillusionment with political condition after failure of the Arab nationalist project under

Gamal

Abd

al-Nasser, continued foreign intervention and local repression; commitment to present affairs

;

expression of life as lived by all Arabs, not merely privileged classes

Thematically grim, a reflection of general pessimism in Arab political affairs after 1948 and 1967: “an atmosphere haunted by feelings of sorrow, disgust, shame, anger, frustration, apathy, and alienation” (

Jayyusi

, p. 16)

Like earlier Modern poetry, text, narrative and narrator are fragmented, and contradictory – a reflection of pervasive “existential malaise”; unlike earlier poets, very little hope for political and social renewal.

Ambiguity and irregularity of modern life reflected in poetic lexicon, sentence structure and metaphor (

Jayyusi

, p. 28)

Very few poets maintain formal strictures of the traditional

qasida

“Poetry…abandoned the songs of weddings and festivals, the prayers of lovers, and the private longings of the soul, in favor of a more communal expression rife with anger and frustration” (

Jayyusi

, p. 16) – the poet resumes his communal role from the pre-Islamic era?

Paradox of social commitment, even as “Arab poetry has delved deeper and deeper into new realms of obliquity and metaphorical adventure” (

Jayyusi

, p. 16)

The Arabic poetic heritage questioned and attacked; indeed, all dogmas and doctrine (including those of language and the poetic traditions itself) become subjects of critique.

Nizar

al-

Qabbani

, Mahmoud

Darwish

,

Saleh

al-

SaburSlide9

Modernism in a nut shell

“The major attainments of modernist Arabic poetry have been toward complexity and coherence, esthetic sophistication and originality, together with a deep commitment to the cause of human justice and freedom. This has always been poetry’s greatest aspiration, its most arduous task. The success of some major experiments must be seen as phenomenal in view of the fact that it comes on two levels which are not mutually compatible: esthetic complexity and social commitment” (

Jayyusi

, p. 37).