Theosophy, romanticism and love in the poetry of Mikhail Naimy / Gregory J. Bell.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Microformat

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Bell, Gregory J.

Contributor:

Allen, Roger, 1942- advisor.

University of Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Penn dissertations--Asian and Middle Eastern studies.

Asian and Middle Eastern studies--Penn dissertations.

Local Subjects:

Penn dissertations--Asian and Middle Eastern studies.

Asian and Middle Eastern studies--Penn dissertations.

Physical Description:

2 volumes (xviii, 460 pages) ; 29 cm

Production:

2001.

Summary:

Mikhail Naimy, widely recognized as one of the most important figures in modern Arabic letters, composed poetry which focused almost exclusively on spiritual matters. While such an interest is not surprising for a poet of Naimy's Orthodox background and education, the appearance of unorthodox notions in his poetry is remarkable. For Naimy's poetry introduces not only the Christian themes and metaphors one might expect, but also concepts such as reincarnation, emanation and other non-Christian notions. The spiritual content of Naimy's verse has been recognized by scholars, but a connection between its unorthodox notions and the thought of modern Theosophy---a world view to which Naimy reports he was introduced around 1915---has been largely ignored. This dissertation explores the many ways in which Naimy drew upon Theosophy to express his ideas and used Theosophical ideology to serve his poetic aims. Naimy's conception of poetry is shown to be a fundamentally Romantic one and the argument is advanced that Naimy's Romanticism facilitated his appropriation of Theosophical concepts. A detailed examination of Naimy's poetry shows that, after composing a few early socio-political poems, he turned to questions of spirituality and love, using Theosophical concepts, themes and metaphors to explore the human effort to discover the soul and truth. At the same time, this dissertation demonstrates the limits of Naimy's use of Theosophy: Theosophical notions that do not advance Naimy's poetic project cannot be found in his poetry and, in areas where Naimy's Romantic inclinations and Theosophical ideology clash, Naimy's poetry presents un-Theosophical views. Naimy's love poetry, for example, presents an evolution from poems portraying world-denying Theosophical attitudes to poems in which the heart's passions are shown to be necessary for humankind's successful pursuit of Truth. This study concludes that recognition of the influence of Theosophical thought on Naimy's verse is essential to an understanding of the complex portrait of life and love, both corporeal and spiritual, that his poetry offers.

Notes:

Adviser: Roger M. A. Allen.

Thesis (Ph.D. in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies) -- University of Pennsylvania, 2001.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

University Microfilms order no.: 3031639.

OCLC:

244972646