ISBN10: 1860649831, ISBN13: 9781860649837, [publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London] Softcover Paperback. "The Arabian Nights" has become a synonym for the fabulous and the exotic. Every child is familiar with the stories of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba. Yet very few people, even specialists in oriential literature, have a clear idea of when the book was written or what exactly it is. Far from being a batch of stories for children, "The Arabian Nights" contains hundreds of narratives of all kinds - fables, epics, erotica, debates, fairy tales, political allegories, mystical anecdotes and comedies. It is a labyrinth of stories within stories. Widely held in contempt in the Middle East for its frivolity and occasional obscenity, the work has nevertheless had a major influence on European and American culture, to the extent that the story collection must be considered as a key work in Western literature. A full understanding of the writings of Voltaire, Dickens, Melville, Proust and Borges, or indeed of the origins of science fiction, is impossible without some familiarity with the stories of the "Nights". This companion aims to guide the reader into this labyrinth of storytelling.It traces the development of the stories from prehistoric India and Pharaonic Egypt to modern times, and explores the history of translation and imitation. Above all, it uses the stories as a guide to the social history and counter-culture of the ...
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ISBN10: 1860649831, ISBN13: 9781860649837, [publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London] Softcover Paperback. "The Arabian Nights" has become a synonym for the fabulous and the exotic. Every child is familiar with the stories of Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba. Yet very few people, even specialists in oriential literature, have a clear idea of when the book was written or what exactly it is. Far from being a batch of stories for children, "The Arabian Nights" contains hundreds of narratives of all kinds - fables, epics, erotica, debates, fairy tales, political allegories, mystical anecdotes and comedies. It is a labyrinth of stories within stories. Widely held in contempt in the Middle East for its frivolity and occasional obscenity, the work has nevertheless had a major influence on European and American culture, to the extent that the story collection must be considered as a key work in Western literature. A full understanding of the writings of Voltaire, Dickens, Melville, Proust and Borges, or indeed of the origins of science fiction, is impossible without some familiarity with the stories of the "Nights". This companion aims to guide the reader into this labyrinth of storytelling.It traces the development of the stories from prehistoric India and Pharaonic Egypt to modern times, and explores the history of translation and imitation. Above all, it uses the stories as a guide to the social history and counter-culture of the ...
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Used - isbn: 1860649831 - isbn13: 9781860649837 Tauris Parke Paperbacks

ISBN10: 1860649831, ISBN13: 9781860649837, [publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks] Softcover The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.
[Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom] [Publication Year: 2004]

ISBN10: 1860649831, ISBN13: 9781860649837, [publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks] Softcover Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day.
[Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom] [Publication Year: 2004]
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ISBN10: 1860649831, ISBN13: 9781860649837, [publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks 2009-05-30] Softcover
[Wallingford, United Kingdom] [Publication Year: 2009]