Draft: The Thousand And One Nights

Introduction

Little is known of the sources of the group of stories that has come to be known as The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, The Thousand and One Nights, or simply The Arabian Nights. The identities of the many authors who contributed to it remain unknown, as do the dates of its composition.

Discussion

Though the collection remained unknown in the West until the 18th century, many of the stories were probably enjoyed by Arab and Persian audiences for a thousand years before they were ever translated into English.

Form and Content

“The Arabian Nights”, consist of interlaced legends told by a new bride to her misogynistic husband.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be said that the popularity of The Arabian Nights' Entertainments has only increased since it was first translated into English between 1706 and 1708.

The Thousand And One Nights

Introduction

When anyone thinks about the Middle East, they may envision such various settings and people as huge areas of oil-rich deserts, exotic personages from the Arabian Nights, Bedouin people living nomadic lives, or ancient Egyptians floating down the Nile River on their way to the pyramids. All of these figures can be found in the literature of the Middle East. The Thousand And One Nights is a glorious story of all times.

Little is known of the sources of the group of stories that has come to be known as The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, The Thousand and One Nights, or simply The Arabian Nights. The identities of the many authors who contributed to it remain unknown, as do the dates of its composition. As is the case with any group of folktales whose origins are largely oral, many of its stories have been changed or fused over the centuries.

Discussion

Though the collection remained unknown in the West until the 18th century, many of the stories were probably enjoyed by Arab and Persian audiences for a thousand years before they were ever translated into English. The most famous tales, apparently set in the 9th century reign of Haroun al-Raschid, Caliph of Baghdad, include the tale of Sinbad the Sailor's adventures with the fearsome bird, Roc; the story of Ali Baba and the forty thieves; and the ever-popular story of Aladdin's lamp. The innumerable lesser-known tales range in genre from courtly romance to supernatural narrative. (Bettelheim 25-30 )

Like Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron, The Arabian Nights is unified by a large story that gives rise to the others--in other words, a “frame tale.” In this case, the new wife of the Sultan Shahriar, Sheherezade, is only able to keep her husband from killing her by telling him a new story each night for 1001 nights.

Though the collection has been enjoyed by generations of children, it is in many ways a thoroughly adult work, full of tales of love and intrigue. It is also a valuable record of a Muslim civilization far more advanced artistically, philosophically, and scientifically than its Western counterparts during Europe's Dark ...