Al-Mutanabbī and the Psychology of Grief

In contrast to many modern studies of medieval Arabic verse which concentrate on the architectonics of the poem, on the devices employed by the poet to construct his polythematic ode, this article essays an approach which stems from the biographical and psychological schools of literary criticism. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Oriental Society 1995-04, Vol.115 (2), p.285-292
Main Author: Montgomery, James E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abu at-Tayyib Ahmad ibn Husayn al-Mutanabbi (915-65)
Arabic literature
Brief Communications
Death
Emotions
Funerals
Grief
Literary criticism
Literary style
Odes
Poetic meter
Poetry
Psychology
Religious poetry
Syllables
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Summary:In contrast to many modern studies of medieval Arabic verse which concentrate on the architectonics of the poem, on the devices employed by the poet to construct his polythematic ode, this article essays an approach which stems from the biographical and psychological schools of literary criticism. The three marāthī (laments) composed by al-Mutanabbī for Kāfūr's governor of Fayyūm, Abū Shujāʿ Fātik between 11 Shawwāl 350/23 November 961 and Shaʿbān 352/August-September 963, are considered in the light of modern studies of the grieving process, with particular attention paid to the lament composed immediately upon Abū Shujāʿ's death, and it is suggested that al-Mutanabbī's poems attest to the psychological trauma which he experienced.
ISSN:0003-0279
2169-2289
DOI:10.2307/604672