Jurjanian Poetics

'Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani's 11th century Arabic work of literary theory, Asrar al-balagha (The Secrets of Eloquence), is arguably one of the most sophisticated treatises on poetics in the world. His aesthetic theory of simile and metaphor, which he develops over the course of his almost 400-page work, resonates with several modern conceptions of the poetic and with Aristotelian poetics. Students will be able to read the entire work for the first time in English as translated by Prof. Harb. We will discuss questions of translation, terminology, and the applicability of Jurjani's poetics cross-culturally. Course is in English.