Prophets, Gods and Kings in Sīrat Sayf Ibn Dhī Yazan

An Intertextual Reading of an Egyptian Popular Epic
Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-90-04-31479-5
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 38, 336 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 635 g

Reihe: Brill Studies in Middle Eastern Literatures

This book is a literary, intertextual study of an Egyptian popular epic. In this innovative study, Helen Blatherwick investigates how various sources, including Islamic qisas al-anbiya' (‘tales of the prophets’), Pharaonic, Graeco-Roman and Coptic Egyptian myths and narratives, and recensions of the Alexander Romance function as intertexts within Sirat Sayf. Blatherwick argues that these intertexts are deployed as narrative devices which are readily recognisable to the story's audience, and that they are significant carriers of meaning and theme. Crucially, these intertexts also interact within Sirat Sayf to bring a conceptual continuity to its discussion of kingship and society that stretches from this late-medieval epic back to ancient Egyptian narratives.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Blatherwick, Helen

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Kinder- und Jugendliteratur, Märchen, Mythen, Sagen
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Volkskunde: Sitten, Traditionen, Mythen, Legenden
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturen sonstiger Sprachräume Literatur des Nahen Ostens & Nordafrikas
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturgeschichte und Literaturkritik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction

2. The Text
Narrative Analysis
Compositional Techniques

3. The Prophets: Islamic Legend in Sirat Sayf
Adam
Noah
Abraham
Moses
Solomon
The General Prophetic Intertext

4. The Gods: Sirat Sayf and Ancient Egyptian Myth
Ancient Egyptian Narrative and Sirat Sayf
The Osiris Intertext
Osiris and Horus, Death and Re-birth: Dhu Yazan, Sayf and His Sons

5. The King: Sirat Sayf and the Alexander Romance
The Qur’anic Alexander
The Alexander Romance
The Persian Alexander Romance
The Alexander Intertext

6. Conclusion: Intertextual Dialogue in the Diversion Of The Nile
The Diversion of the Nile
The Dialogue of Intertexts
Insiders and Outsiders: Noah’s Curse, Bilqis, and Habash

Appendix: Glossary of Principal Characters

Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Helen Blatherwick, Ph.D. (2002), SOAS, University of London, is a Research Associate at the same university.