Havlioğlu, Fall 2013
İstanbul Şehir University
LIT 203: Classical Islamic Literatures I
Major Sources and Themes
Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 – 10:30
Classroom: West Campus, 1039
Instructor: Didem Havlioglu
Office: West Campus, D1-1010
Email: [email protected]
Office Phone # 9081
Office Hours: to be arranged
Description
This course is the first one of the two critical surveys of “Islamic Literatures.” While the first one
focuses on major sources and themes, the second will investigate major motifs and genres in the
pre-modern Islamic world. The course opens with a discussion of the notions of world, national,
world and third-world literatures and the emergence of İslamic literatures as a field of study.
Throughout the course we will discuss the ways in which we can contextualize Islamic literatures
within the larger context of world literature. We will discuss a wide range of readings originally in
Arabic, Persian and Turkish in comparison to examples in World literature. Drawing on such
readings we will practice textual analysis and develop critical approach to read these texts.
Readings:
Books can be purchased in the bookstore and the reading pack will be posted on the course website.
Havlioğlu, Fall 2013
İstanbul Şehir University
Requirements:
Mid Term---------------------------------------------------------------------------% 30
Presentation and Response-------------------------------------------------------% 20
Final----------------------------------------------------------------------------------%40
Participation-------------------------------------------------------------------------%10
Assignments:
All assignments will be explained in class and guidelines will be distributed before the assignments.
Participation in class discussion is required. This means not only attending each session but also
participating in discussions. After calculation of your written grade, it can raise your class average.
Plagiarism:
It is my policy not to tolerate plagiarism of any kind. “Plagiarism” means the intentional
unacknowledged use or incorporation of any other person's work in one's own work. Plagiarism
includes, but is not limited to, representing as one's own any other individual’s words, phrasing,
ideas, or expression.
Havlioğlu, Fall 2013
İstanbul Şehir University
SCHEDULE
Week 1: Introductions
A discussion of the concepts of “World Literature”, “İslamic” and “Third World Literature”
Readings: David Damrosch, How to Read World Literature?
Week 2: How to Read World Literature Continues
Week 5-6: Pre-Islamic Arabic, Persian and Turkish Literatures
Cultures before Islam, Languages, Ethnicities, Religions, daily life.
Readings Selections from: Jahiliyya Poetry, Muallakat-ı Seb'a : Imr'ul-Kays
Pre-Islamic Iranian and Indian Influences on Persian Literature: Shahnamehs, Kelile
and Dimne, Avesta
Pre-Islamic Turkish Literature: Dede Korkut
Comparative/Further Readings: A Selection from Gılgamesh
A Selection from The Legend of King Arthur
Week 7-8 : The Art of Story Telling: Fairy Tales
Story telling, oral literature, narrative transformations
Readings:
Hussein Haddawy (ed.), Arabian Nights
Borges, “ Seven Nights”
Comparative/Further Readings: Grimm Brothers
Week 9-10: Fathers, Sons and the Making of History: The Epic
Stories as Histories, Stories of Peoples, Fathers and Sons, Heros and Leaders
Readings:
A Selection from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh
Matthew Arnold's “Sohrab and Rustum”
Comparative/Further Readings: Homer’s The Iliad
The Song of Roland
Week 11&12: The Most Beautiful Story: Yusuf
The narrative transformation of the story of Yusuf from religious texts literary represantation
Readings:
Bill Hickman, Joseph and Zuleykha
Merguerian and Najmabadi “Whose story?”
Comparative/Further Readings: Sura “Yusuf” in the Koran
Chapter “Joseph” in the Old Testament
Week 13: The Most Beautiful Human Being: The Prophet
Readings:
Selections from Yazıcızade's Muhammediyye
Selections from Süleyman Çelebi's Mevlid-i Şerif
Annemarie Schimmel, Muhammed
Havlioğlu, Fall 2013
İstanbul Şehir University
A Selection of Hilyas
Week 14 & 15: The Many Voices of Islam: Mysticism and Sufi Literature
Readings:
Anne-Marie Schimmel, Mystical Dymension of Islam
Selections from Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi's Mesnevi (13th cent)
Selections form Farid ud-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds (12th cent)
Comparative/Further Readings: Ibn Tufayl, Hayy b. Yaqzan