LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aimes at offering the student the basic notions of Arabic culture and literature through diachronic readings that pay particular attention to the socio-cultural dimentions of beduine society, as well as to its literary production forms. Within this topic, attention will be paid to the birth and progress of Islam with its religious, social and artistic influences.

Main examples of pre-Islamic poetry, early islamic literary production and prose production will be analyzed.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course provides participants with a general knowledge of the Arabic culture and its literary production from the VI century to the end of the Umayyad period. Special attention will be paid to the cultural elements which characterized the Arabian peninsula in its pre-Islamic beginnings, and to the birth of Islam, with particular reference to the historical events which are considered the founding acts of the Muslim community. Late antique religious debates shall be dealt with in order to highlight the relation of continuity existing between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Students shall also be provided with an exhaustive introduction to the salient features of pre-Islamic poetry and Koranic prose. Traditions of the Saying and Doings of the Prophet Muhammad shall be presented, as well as the early beginning of the adab prose.

PREREQUISITES

None

TEACHING METHODS

This module will be taught over the first semester (october-december), with 3 hours seminars per week, accounting for a total of 36 hours lessons.

Students will be introduced to the rich literary heritage of the Arabic language, starting from the golden odes of Pre-Islamic Arabia, ending with the early beginning of literary prose by the end of the Umayyad period. A historical framework will be first presented together with the literature produced along that same period. Chosen poetry and prose texts will be analyzed, with a particular focus on their connections to the social and historical environment in which they were created.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

• The pre-Islamic framework of the Arabian peninsula; the tribal system. 
• Late antique religious debates.
• Orality in the pre-Islamic Arabian peninsula. The role of poets during the Ǧāhiliyya.
• Themes, motifs, structure and poetic form of the qaṣīda.
• The issue of authenticity pertaining to the Arabic texts which have been foundational to the early history of Islam.
• Prophet Muhammad and the Holy Koran; the birth of the Muslim community
• The Rightly Guided Caliphs. The fixation of the Koranic script.
• The main collections of Saying and Doings of the Prophet Muhammad.
• The Greek impact on Arabic literature.
• The schism of the Muslim community into Sunnite and Shia branches.
• The Umayyad period and the evolution of poetry
• Love poetry (ġazal), encomiastic poetry (madīḥ) and duelling poetry (naqā’id).
• The rise and growth of adab collections. 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography:

AMALDI, Daniela, Storia della letteratura araba classica, Zanichelli, Bologna 2004.

TOELLE Heidi, ZAKHARIA Katia, Alla scoperta della letteratura araba, dal VI secolo ai nostri giorni, Argo, Lecce, 2010

A selection of literary texts provided by the teacher.

Also recommended:

TOTTOLI Roberto, Introduzione all'Islam, Istituto Per l'Oriente, Roma, 2018