Woman's voice and body are closely entwined in the Arabo-Islamic
tradition, argues Fedwa Malti-Douglas in this pioneering book.
Spanning the ninth through twentieth centuries and covering a wide
range of texts—from courtly anectdote to mystical and philosophical
treatises, from works of geography to autobiography—this study
reveals how woman's access to literary speech has remained mediated
through her body. Malti-Douglas first analyzes classical texts (both
well-known works like The Thousand and One Nights and others still
ignored in the West) in which the female voice, often associated with
wit or trickery of a sexual nature, is subordinated to the male
scriptor. Showing how early Arabo-Islamic discourse continues to
influence contemporary Arabic writing, she maintains that today
feminist writers of novels, short stories, and autobiography must work
through this tradition, even if they subvert or reject it in the end.
Whereas woman in the classical period speaks through the body, woman
in the modern period often turns corporeality into a literary weapon
to achieve power over discourse. Fedwa Malti-Douglas is Professor of
Arabic and Comparative Literature at the University of Texas, Austin.
Her books include Structures of Avarice: The Bukhala' in Medieval
Arabic Literature (Leiden) and Blindness and Autobiography: Al-Ayyam
of Taha Husayn (Princeton). Originally published in 1991. The
Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to
again make available previously out-of-print books from the
distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions
preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting
them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the
Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich
scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by
Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780691194653
Publisert
2018
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter