The reader in al-Jāḥiẓ : the epistolary rhetoric of an Arabic prose master / / Thomas Hefter [[electronic resource]]

• Autore: Hefter Thomas H.
• Pubblicazione: Edinburgh : , : Edinburgh University Press, , 2014
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (vii, 277 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)
• Disciplina: 892/.783408
• Soggetto topico: Books and reading - Islamic Empire; Arabic literature - 750-1258 - History and criticism
• Soggetto geografico: Islamic Empire Intellectual life
• Note generali: Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 09 Sep 2016).
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1. The Addressee and the Occasion of Writing -- 2. Epistolary Confrontations and Dialectics of Parody -- 3. Undisclosed Origins and Homelands -- 4. Faulting Misers in the Introduction to Kitāb al-Bukhalāʾ -- 5. Passive Addressee and Critical Reader in the Abū al-ʿĀṣ/Ibn al-Tawʾam Debate -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index
• Sommario/riassunto: The 9th-century essayist, theologian and encyclopaedist Amr b. Bahr al-Jahiz has long been acknowledged as a master of early Arabic prose writing. Many of his most engaging writings were clearly intended for a broad readership but were presented as letters to individuals. Despite the importance and quantity of these letters, surprisingly little academic notice has been paid to them. Now, Thomas Hefter takes a new approach in interpreting some of al-Jahiz's 'epistolary monographs'. By focussing on the varying ways in which he wrote to the addressee, Hefter shows how al-Jahiz hid his conversations on the page in order to guide (or manipulate) his actual readers and encourage them to engage with his complex materials. Key Features * Looks at letters from one of the most unique minds of the Abbasid era that cover sectarian and ethnic rivalries, ethical questions, intoxicating beverages and daily life *Relates al-Jahiz's experiments with the letter frame to his views on occupations, human geography and other issues of his day *Examines the role of self-parody in al-Jahiz's fictional conversations with his addressees *Explores the rich interplay of contending voices
• Titolo autorizzato: The reader in al-Jāḥiẓ
• ISBN: 1-4744-0096-5; 0-7486-9275-4
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910827886903321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II
• Serie: Edinburgh studies in classical Arabic literature.