Contrariness in Classical Arabic Literature : : Beautifying the Ugly and Uglifying the Beautiful by Abū Manṣūr al-Thaʿālibī (d. 429/1039) / / Abū Manṣūr al-Thaʿālibī.

• Superior document: Brill Studies in Middle Eastern Literatures ; 45
• VerfasserIn: al-Thaʿālibī, Abū Manṣūr,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2024.; ©2024
• Year of Publication: 2024
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English; Arabic
• Series: Brill Studies in Middle Eastern Literatures ; 45.; Middle East and Islamic Studies E-Books Online, Collection 2024.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (237 pages)

In his Beautifying the Ugly and Uglifying the Beautiful ( Taḥsīn al-qabīḥ wa-taqbīḥ al-ḥasan ) the prolific anthologist al-Thaʿālibī (d. 429/1038) offers a thematically arranged selection of Arabic poems and prose anecdotes or sayings with contrary or paradoxical purport, such as praise of miserliness, boredom, sickness, and death, or condemnation of generosity, intelligence, youth, and music. The book is both entertaining and informative, giving insight in premodern Arab and Islamic culture. It contains a new edition of the Arabic text and a complete English translation (the first in any language) with extensive annotation, preceded by an introduction with the necessary background of the genre.

Table of Contents

Intro -- ‎Contents -- ‎Preface -- ‎Abbreviations -- ‎Transliteration and Dates -- ‎Figures -- ‎Introduction -- ‎1. Contrariness in Literature and Criticism -- ‎2. Ethics, Aesthetics and Pragmatics -- ‎3. Al-Thaʿālibī's Taḥsīn al-qabīḥ wa-taqbīḥ al-ḥasan -- ‎Note on the Translation, Annotation, and the Arabic Text -- ‎Edition and Translation -- ‎Preamble -- ‎Part One: Beautification -- ‎1 The Beautification of the Learner and of Teaching -- ‎2 The Beautification of Bad Omina -- ‎3 The beautification of ugly things by means of euphemisms -- ‎4 The Beautification of Lying -- ‎5 The Beautification of Insolence -- ‎6 The Beautification of Sin and Condoning Misdeeds -- ‎7 The Beautification of Poverty -- ‎8 The Beautification of Debt -- ‎9 The Beautification of Imprisonment -- ‎10 The Beautification of False Oaths -- ‎11 The Beautification of the Doings of the Chaperone -- ‎12 The Beautification of the Bore -- ‎13 The Beautification of the Sponger -- ‎14 The Beautification of Spite -- ‎15 The Beautification of Blindness -- ‎16 The Beautification of Being Alone -- ‎17 The Beautification of Miserliness -- ‎18 The Beautification of Saying No -- ‎19 The Beautification of the Rabble and the Lower Classes -- ‎20 The Beautification of Simple-Mindedness -- ‎21 The Beautification of Boredom -- ‎22 The Beautification of being Denied Access by a Chamberlain -- ‎23 The Beautification of Being Discharged from Office -- ‎24 The Beautification of Separation -- ‎25 The Beautification of Cowardice and Fleeing -- ‎26 The Beautification of Having Daughters -- ‎27 The Beautification of a Young Man's Sprouting a Beard -- ‎28 The Beautification of the Colour Black -- ‎29 The Beautification of Grey Hair -- ‎30 The Beautification of Sickness -- ‎31 The Beautification of Death -- ‎Part Two: Uglification -- ‎32 The Uglification of Intelligence.

‎33 The Uglification of Knowledge -- ‎34 The Uglification of adab (Erudition, Good Manners, the Humanities) -- ‎35 The Uglification of Books and Notebooks -- ‎36 The Uglification of Handwriting and Pen -- ‎37 The Uglification of the Vizierate -- ‎38 The Uglification of Being Employed by the Ruler -- ‎39 The Uglification of Employment in the Postal Service -- ‎40 The Uglification of Experience -- ‎41 The Uglification of Gold -- ‎42 The Uglification of Riches and Wealth -- ‎43 The Uglification of Consultation -- ‎44 The Uglification of Acting without Haste -- ‎45 The Uglification of Fortitude -- ‎46 The Uglification of Forbearance -- ‎47 The Uglification of Courage -- ‎48 The Uglification of Modesty -- ‎49 The Uglification of Abstinence -- ‎50 The Uglification of Generosity -- ‎51 The Uglification of Contentment -- ‎52 The Uglification of Dwellings and Buildings -- ‎53 The Uglification of the Hammam -- ‎54 The Uglification of Youth -- ‎55 The Uglification of Friends and Fellows -- ‎56 The Uglification of Sons -- ‎57 The Uglification of White Slaves -- ‎58 The Uglification of Eunuchs -- ‎59 The Uglification of Landed Estates -- ‎60 The Uglification of Rain -- ‎61 The Uglification of the Rose -- ‎62 The Uglification of the Narcissus -- ‎63 The Uglification of the Violet -- ‎64 The Uglification of Camphor, Rose Water, and Incense -- ‎65 The Uglification of the Moon -- ‎66 The Uglification of Wine -- ‎67 The Uglification of Singing and Listening to Music -- ‎68 The Uglification of Presents -- ‎69 The Uglification of Gratitude-except to God Almighty -- ‎Bibliography -- ‎Index of Rhymes ‮فهرست القوافي‬‎ -- ‎Index of Persons, Tribes, Nations, and Dynasties -- ‎Index of Place Names -- ‎Index of Subjects and Technical Terms, with Transliterated Arabic Terms.