The poetics of the obscene in premodern Arabic poetry : Ibn al-Ḥajjāj and sukhf / by Sinan Antoon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Antoon, Sinan, 1967- author.

Series:

Literatures and cultures of the Islamic world

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ibn Ḥajjāj, al-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad, -1001--Criticism and interpretation.

Ibn Ḥajjāj, al-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad.

Ibn Ḥajjāj, al-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad, -1001.

Scatology in literature.

Obscene words in literature.

Criticism and interpretation.

Physical Description:

xiv, 224 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

The premodern Arab poet Ibn al-Hajjaj (941-1001) left an indelible mark on the trajectory of Arabic poetry and culture by pioneering and popularizing a new mode of poetry, sukhf - obscene and scatological parody. His outrageously obscene poetry was admired by his contemporaries, as well by poets and critics of later periods. The modern period, however, has not been nearly as kind to him. Sinan Antoon argues that the reasons for this oversight are ideological, for the most part, and have to do with modern misconceptions of what constitutes "good poetry." The Poetics of the Obscene in Premodern Arabic Poetry is the first study of this fascinating poet and the genre he popularized, placing it within Arab cultural genealogy. Antoon reinscribes Ibn al-Hajjaj into the literary history from which he has been exiled and offers fascinating close readings of the poems in their social and cultural context. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Ibn al-Hajjaj and Sukhf: Genealogies 5

2 Parodying the Tradition 45

3 Sukhf in Panegyric Poetry 65

4 Sttkhf as Sukhf: Abu Nuwas, Mujun, and Ibn al-Hajjaj 93

5 Sukhf, Scatology, and Society 125.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137301536

1137301538

OCLC:

856861196