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Narratives of Kingship in Eurasian Empires, 1300-1800
Series: - Rulers & Elites, Volume: 11
Author:
In
Narratives of Kingship in Eurasian Empires, 1300-1800 Richard van Leeuwen analyses representations and constructions of the idea of kingship in fictional texts of various genres, especially belonging to the intermediate layer between popular and official literature. The analysis shows how ideologies of power are embedded in the literary and cultural imagination of societies, their cultural values and conceptualizations of authority. By referring to examples from various empires (Chinese, Indian, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, European) the parallels between literary traditions are laid bare, revealing remarkable common concerns. The process of interaction and transmission are highlighted to illustrate how literature served as a repository for ideological and cultural values transforming power into authority in various imperial environments.
Richard van Leeuwen, Ph.D. (1992) University of Amsterdam, is senior lecturer in Islamic Studies at that university. He has published widely on the history of the Middle East, Arabic literature, and Islam, and is also a translator of Arabic literature. His publications include
Notables and Clergy in Mount Lebanon, 1736-1840 (Brill 1994);
Waqfs and Urban Structures in Ottoman Damascus (Brill 1999); (with U. Marzolph)
The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia (2 vols, Santa Barbara 2004);
The Thousand and One Nights: Space, Travel and Transformation (London 2007).
“The author analyzes (and provides helpful summaries of) the narratives to describe, among other themes, common literary emphases on the links between the morality of kings and ministers and the health of their dynasties and societies; between the authority of kings and supernatural forces; between rulership, esoteric knowledge, and concepts of cosmic and social harmony; and between gender relationships and the coherence of polity and community. –Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students/faculty.”
Mark Soderstrom, Aurora University. In: Choice, Vol. 55, No. 8 (April 2018).
“Van Leeuwen’s book draws our attention to tantalising possibilities in the broad comparative analysis of literary genres nearly always locked up inside specialists’ cabinets, opening a door through which other scholars will surely want to follow.”
Alan Strathern, Brasenose College, Oxford. In: The English Historical Review, Vol. 134, No. 570 (October 2019), pp. 1301–1304.
“An unparalleled study […] Scholars interested in Thousand and One Nights will appreciate the insights that Narratives of Kingship offers, noting the possibilities for further research in the area of the multiple genres of the narrative.”
Jessica K. Zeitler, Pima Community College. In: Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 50, No. 2 (Summer 2019), pp. 568–570.
Mark Soderstrom, Aurora University. In: Choice, Vol. 55, No. 8 (April 2018).
“Van Leeuwen’s book draws our attention to tantalising possibilities in the broad comparative analysis of literary genres nearly always locked up inside specialists’ cabinets, opening a door through which other scholars will surely want to follow.”
Alan Strathern, Brasenose College, Oxford. In: The English Historical Review, Vol. 134, No. 570 (October 2019), pp. 1301–1304.
“An unparalleled study […] Scholars interested in Thousand and One Nights will appreciate the insights that Narratives of Kingship offers, noting the possibilities for further research in the area of the multiple genres of the narrative.”
Jessica K. Zeitler, Pima Community College. In: Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 50, No. 2 (Summer 2019), pp. 568–570.
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
Introduction
The Thousand and One Nights and Processes of Transmission
Source Material
1 Kings, Viziers, Concubines
The Cycle of the ‘Seven Viziers’/ ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ and Its Cognates
Variations: The Story of ‘Jaliʾad of Hind and His Vizier Shimas’
King Wu’s Expedition against Zhou and Proclaiming Harmony
Concluding Remarks
2 Gods, Demons, and Kings
The Prince and the Demons of Evil: The Legendary Vikramaditya
The Thirty-Two Steps of the Throne
Harun al-Rashid, Vizier Jaʾfar, and the Jinns
Harun al-Rashid and the Discourse of Power
Fighting the Evil Spirit: The Creation of the Gods
Concluding Remarks
3 Divine Insights, Cosmic Harmony
The Cycle of the ‘Queen of the Serpents’
King and Cosmos: The Sorcerer’s Revolt
Jan Potòcki’s Manuscrit Trouvé à Saragosse
Concluding Remarks
4 The Knight and the King
Tirant lo Blanc: The Ideal Knight
The Harbinger of the Faith: Amir Hamza
The Emperor and the Barbarians: The Exploits of Yue Fei
Hang Tuah, the Malay Hero
The ‘Foreign’ Sultan: Al-Zahir Baybars
The Muslims against the Byzantines: Sayyid Battal
Concluding Remarks
5 Kingship and Love
The Prince and the Mysteries of Love
The Story of ‘Mirigavati’
Sufis and Solomon
The Enchantment of Love: European Fantasies of Kingship and Love
Concluding Remarks
6 Unrequested Advice
The Frustrated Official: Mustafa Ali of Gallipoli
Against the Old Order: Huang Zongxi and Hung Sheng
European and Oriental Despots: Montesquieu and Diderot
A Modern Mirror-for-Princes: Christoph Martin Wieland’s Der Goldene Spiegel
The Official and His Empress: Alexander Radischev and Catherine II
Concluding Remarks
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
List of Figures
Introduction
The Thousand and One Nights and Processes of Transmission
Source Material
1 Kings, Viziers, Concubines
The Cycle of the ‘Seven Viziers’/ ‘Seven Sages of Rome’ and Its Cognates
Variations: The Story of ‘Jaliʾad of Hind and His Vizier Shimas’
King Wu’s Expedition against Zhou and Proclaiming Harmony
Concluding Remarks
2 Gods, Demons, and Kings
The Prince and the Demons of Evil: The Legendary Vikramaditya
The Thirty-Two Steps of the Throne
Harun al-Rashid, Vizier Jaʾfar, and the Jinns
Harun al-Rashid and the Discourse of Power
Fighting the Evil Spirit: The Creation of the Gods
Concluding Remarks
3 Divine Insights, Cosmic Harmony
The Cycle of the ‘Queen of the Serpents’
King and Cosmos: The Sorcerer’s Revolt
Jan Potòcki’s Manuscrit Trouvé à Saragosse
Concluding Remarks
4 The Knight and the King
Tirant lo Blanc: The Ideal Knight
The Harbinger of the Faith: Amir Hamza
The Emperor and the Barbarians: The Exploits of Yue Fei
Hang Tuah, the Malay Hero
The ‘Foreign’ Sultan: Al-Zahir Baybars
The Muslims against the Byzantines: Sayyid Battal
Concluding Remarks
5 Kingship and Love
The Prince and the Mysteries of Love
The Story of ‘Mirigavati’
Sufis and Solomon
The Enchantment of Love: European Fantasies of Kingship and Love
Concluding Remarks
6 Unrequested Advice
The Frustrated Official: Mustafa Ali of Gallipoli
Against the Old Order: Huang Zongxi and Hung Sheng
European and Oriental Despots: Montesquieu and Diderot
A Modern Mirror-for-Princes: Christoph Martin Wieland’s Der Goldene Spiegel
The Official and His Empress: Alexander Radischev and Catherine II
Concluding Remarks
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Scholars and students in the fields of history and literature of Eurasian empires, comparative literature, world literature, ideologies of power and authority.