ELL1013F L2 - One Thousand and One Nights 2025

Course Information

• Course Code: ELL1013F

• Title: The One Thousand and One Nights (Alf Layla wa-Layla)

• Instructor: Hassana Moosa

• Email: hassana.moosa@uct.ac.za

• Location: AC Jordan 124

Attendance

• Please register your attendance for today's lecture.

Context and Significance

• Questions to Consider:

  • What can the context and literary history of the collection tell us about the stories and the collection?

  • How does understanding the collection’s ‘backstory’ inform our approach?

  • Why is it important to study Alf Layla wa Layla?

Thinking Points on Orality vs. Textuality

• Orality:

  • Defined as a dynamic medium for evolving, storing, and transmitting knowledge and art. Contrasts with literacy.

  • Engages with literature but is distinct from it.

• Textuality:

  • Refers to the condition of being written or expressed in text form.

Telling in the Frame Narrative

• Importance of storytelling in the narrative:

  • "So tell me what had made you so miserable when you arrived..." (p.19)

  • Narrative urging the sharing of personal stories exemplifies the role of storytelling in the work.

Author vs. Writer vs. Storyteller

• Definitions:

  • Author: Writer of a book; occupies the role of creator.

  • Writer: Engaged in the act of writing, includes those composing texts.

  • Storyteller: Recites and conveys stories, linking to various media.

Death of the Author

• Concept from Roland Barthes:

  • Proclaims the removal of the author’s control over interpretation, empowering readers.

  • Influences reader-response criticism, indicating that meaning derives from cultural codes rather than author intent.

• Critique of the Author:

  • By diminishing the Author's authority, Barthes critiques the traditional literary analysis that centers authorial intent.

Structural Components: Frame Narratives and Embedded Stories

• Definitions:

  • Frame Narrative: An overarching story that contains other tales, often used to unify diverse narratives.

  • Embedded Stories: Stories within a main narrative, contributing to its depth and complexity.

• Impact on Collection:

  • How does the framing narrative shape the interpretation of its embedded stories?

Key Concepts in Frame Narratives

• Functions of frame narratives:

  • They can shape, contain, embellish, mirror, and unify the embedded stories.

• Frame narratives enrich the overall narrative experience.

Analysis of Shahrazad’s Tale

• Summary of Shahrazad's plot:

  • Shahrazad tells stories to King Shahriyar to delay her execution, embedding tales within her own story.

• Themes:

  • Justice, political power, authority, gender-based violence, infidelity, resistance, storytelling, and sexuality.

Discussion on Relationships in Narratives

• Explore the relationship between Shahrazad’s framing story and the embedded stories.

• Consider how these elements enhance or complicate the themes of the wider collection.