12/19/13
History - block G
Primary source project - blog post
Literature was an
important aspect of the Islamic and Byzantine cultures. People used literature
to express ideas and share discoveries. When Islamic literature such as One
Thousand and One Nights, or the Quran are compared to pieces of Byzantine
literature such as writings of emperor Justinian, the structural and the
ideational superiority of Islamic literature is evident. If literature was used
as a window to look at each culture side by side, it would be evident that the
Muslims progressed and learned at a much greater rate than the Byzantine
people.
PRIMARY SOURCE BYZANTINE LITERATURE – Institutes,
collection of Byzantine legal documents
We now
come to another division relative to the rights of persons; for some persons
are independent, some are subject to the power of others. Of those, again, who are
subject to others, some are in the power of parents, others in that of masters.
Let us first treat of those who are subject to others; for, when we have
ascertained who these are, we shall at the same time discover who are
independent. And first let us consider those who are in the power of masters.
1. Slaves
are in the power of masters, a power derived from the law of nations: for among
all nations it may be remarked that masters have the power of life and death
over their slaves, and that everything acquired by the slave is acquired for
the master.
2. But at
the present day none of our subjects may use unrestrained violence towards
their slaves, except for a reason recognized by law. For, by a constitutio of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, he who
without any reason kills his own slave is to be punished equally with one who
has killed the slave of another. The excessive severity of masters is also
restrained by anotherconstitutio of
the same emperor. For, when consulted by certain governors of provinces on the
subject of slaves, who fly for sanctuary either to temples, or to the statues
of the emperors, he decided that if the severity of masters should appear
excessive, they might be compelled to make sale of their slaves upon equitable
terms, so that the masters might receive the value; and this was a very wise
decision, as it concerns the public good, that no one should misuse his own
property. The following are the terms of this rescript of Antoninus, which was
sent to Laelius Marcianus: The
power of masters over their slaves ought to be preserved unimpaired, nor ought
any man to be deprived of his just right. But it is for the interest of all
masters themselves, that relief prayed on good grounds against cruelty, the
denial of sustenance, or any other intolerable injury, should not be refused.
Examine, therefore, into the complaints of the slaves who have fled from the
house of Julius Sabinus, and taken refuge at the statue of the emperor; and, if
you find that they have been too harshly treated, or wantonly disgraced, order
them to be sold, so that they may not fall again under the power of their
master; and, if Sabinus attempt to evade my constitutio,
I would have him know, that I shall severely punish his disobedience.
PARAPHRASE:
This legislative writing, written
by Byzantine emperor Justinian I, addresses the problem of slavery. Justinian
suggests that while some people are independent, others must submit to their
superiors. He then declares that slaves belong to their masters, and the
masters have COMPLETE control over the slave’s lives. He does however go on to
say no one may be extremely violent towards their slaves or punish them too
severely. If a master is too harsh on his slaves, then he must sell them at a
reasonable price, so that the general public benefits from the situation.
ISLAMIC LITERATURE PRIMARY SOURCE – Introduction to the Quran
Most Merciful.
The Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
And Thine aid we seek.
Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
Those whose (portion)
Is not wrath,
And who go not astray.
2. Praise be to God,
3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful;
4. Master of the Day of Judgment.
5. Thee do we worship,
6. Show us the straight way,
7. The way of those on whom
PARAPHRASE:
This is the
introduction to the Quran, the religious book of the Islamic people, which was
given to Muhammad by Allah, the god they believe in. This passage starts off
pleading towards Allah, and is followed by praises directed towards Allah as well.
These praises describe Allah as a nurturing, forgiving, and powerful god. Next,
the writer states that he has worshipped Allah, and he seeks his help. He wants
to live the way that Allah wants him to live, the path that will lead him to
salvation.
OUTLINE
1) Intro to Islamic literature
a) Islamic literature was highly diverse; it covered not only legal matters, but represented a wide range of ideas from religion, to legislative documents, to fictional works and folktales.
b) Prose
i) Most commonly used form of prose was called the maqamah. This was an elegant method of writing which rhymed, but was still considered prose.
c) Poetry
(a) An ode of 20-100 verses, maintains a single end-rhyme throughout
(2) Ghazel
(a) A short love lyric of 5-12 verses, meant to portray secular and/or religious ideas.
(3) Qitah
(a) A form of poetry used to make jokes or for satire
(4) Masnavi
(a) This is rhyming couplet. It was very popular because it allowed poets to tell a story by stringing thousands of verses together.
(5) Roba’I
(a) Four line verse where lines 1, 2, and 4 rhyme.
d) Transition
i) All of these methods of writing culminated in unique and powerful literature. One example of the power of Arabic literature was One Thousand and One Nights.
b) Literary Devices
i) Frame Story
(1) A story in which the real plot is another story within a story
ii) Embedded Narrative
(1) A character narrates a story about his/herself
iii) Imagery
iv) Foreshadowing
v) Crime fiction and Horror elements
vi) Science Fiction and Fantasy stories
vii) Fate and Destiny
viii) Humor
c) Importance
i) These ideas were fairly new at the time, and if Islamic literature had not shaped them and improved so vastly upon them, modern literature would not be at the same place it is today.
d) Transition
i) Still, One Thousand and One Nights was not the only piece of literature that greatly influenced following years.
3) The Quran, the holy book of the Islamic people
a) The Quran is one of the most unique books ever written. It does not follow any forms of Arabic poetry or prose and therefore is classified as neither.
b) Religious influence
i) This book taught Muslims to live how their god wanted them to live. It greatly influenced the religion and resulted in many more believers.
c) Educational influence
i) Because of the amazing uniqueness of the Quran, it has been studied for as long as it has been written. No piece of literature has been able to replicate the style of the Quran, since it does not fall under poetry or prose.
d) Transition
i) While the Quran may be one of the most unique, universal, and influential pieces of literature, there were also pieces of Byzantine literature that remain noteworthy.
a) Byzantine literature was modeled after Greek Atticism, a rhetorical style of writing.
b) Rhetoric
i) Rhetoric is a very methodical writing style, in which an argument is developed, finalized, and presented.
ii) This style of writing, which made up the majority of Byzantine literature, did not allow for expression of philosophic or theological ideas very well. Thus, legal and historical documents represented most of the writings in Byzantium.
c) Genres
i) Historical/Chronological
(1) No passion or enthusiasm or personal connections, written by royalty or court members usually
ii) Encyclopedias/essays
(1) Very prominent in Byzantium, usually are dedicated to old artifacts or historical events.
iii) Secular poetry
(1) Poetry to do with ideas not concerning religion, rhetoric writing style did not allow for good expression of religious ideas.
(2) Epigrams
(a) Brief statements meant to surprise or make fun of someone or something
(3) Panegyrics
(a) Speeches made to praise someone or something, written and presented by the writer of the speech
(4) Satire
(a) Lucian was the father of Byzantine Satire, which is a writing that uses irony to make fun of someone or something
(5) Didactic
(a) Stories intended to teach morale lessons
(6) Begging-Poems
(a) Laments of authors, meant to express physical needs in a poetic form
d) Transition
i) These characteristics and categories of Byzantine literature showed a very superficial and methodical form of writing. However, there was still a small amount of deeper, less traditional Byzantine literature.
5) Theological/Philosophical poetry and popular poetry
a) While most of Byzantine literature was very straightforward and superficial, popular poetry and theological poetry were a big part of Byzantine culture as well.
b) Popular poetry
i) After the capture of Constantinople, literature was totally reformed. Rhetoric style faded away which allowed for more popular ideas and horizons to be represented in literature.
c) Theological and Ecclesiastical literature
i) Romanos was the main writer of theological writings, which was not very prominent at the time.
d) Transition
i) Obviously, both cultures had complex and developed literature, but what could one infer about their cultures from this information?
6) Making Connections
a) Both cultures maintained their unique styles of literature throughout their existences.
b) Islamic Literature vs. Byzantine Literature
i) After observing both styles of literature, it is obvious that the Islamic peoples were more thorough and more thoughtful in their literature, whereas the Byzantine peoples were not able to express deeper ideas through their literature.
ii) This shows a higher educational level in the Islamic culture, which was a result of a superior society, and also a time advantage.
c) Transition
i) Five different types of poetry
(1) Qasida
(a) An ode of 20-100 verses, maintains a single end-rhyme throughout
(2) Ghazel
(a) A short love lyric of 5-12 verses, meant to portray secular and/or religious ideas.
(3) Qitah
(a) A form of poetry used to make jokes or for satire
(4) Masnavi
(a) This is rhyming couplet. It was very popular because it allowed poets to tell a story by stringing thousands of verses together.
(5) Roba’I
(a) Four line verse where lines 1, 2, and 4 rhyme.
d) Transition
i) All of these methods of writing culminated in unique and powerful literature. One example of the power of Arabic literature was One Thousand and One Nights.
2) One Thousand and One Nights
a) The book One Thousand and One Nights was a collection of folk tales from all across Arabia, many of which were told by Persian Queen Scheherazade.
b) Literary Devices
i) Frame Story
(1) A story in which the real plot is another story within a story
ii) Embedded Narrative
(1) A character narrates a story about his/herself
iii) Imagery
iv) Foreshadowing
v) Crime fiction and Horror elements
vi) Science Fiction and Fantasy stories
vii) Fate and Destiny
viii) Humor
c) Importance
i) These ideas were fairly new at the time, and if Islamic literature had not shaped them and improved so vastly upon them, modern literature would not be at the same place it is today.
d) Transition
i) Still, One Thousand and One Nights was not the only piece of literature that greatly influenced following years.
3) The Quran, the holy book of the Islamic people
a) The Quran is one of the most unique books ever written. It does not follow any forms of Arabic poetry or prose and therefore is classified as neither.
b) Religious influence
i) This book taught Muslims to live how their god wanted them to live. It greatly influenced the religion and resulted in many more believers.
c) Educational influence
i) Because of the amazing uniqueness of the Quran, it has been studied for as long as it has been written. No piece of literature has been able to replicate the style of the Quran, since it does not fall under poetry or prose.
d) Transition
i) While the Quran may be one of the most unique, universal, and influential pieces of literature, there were also pieces of Byzantine literature that remain noteworthy.
4) Byzantine Literature Intro
a) Byzantine literature was modeled after Greek Atticism, a rhetorical style of writing.
b) Rhetoric
i) Rhetoric is a very methodical writing style, in which an argument is developed, finalized, and presented.
ii) This style of writing, which made up the majority of Byzantine literature, did not allow for expression of philosophic or theological ideas very well. Thus, legal and historical documents represented most of the writings in Byzantium.
c) Genres
i) Historical/Chronological
(1) No passion or enthusiasm or personal connections, written by royalty or court members usually
ii) Encyclopedias/essays
(1) Very prominent in Byzantium, usually are dedicated to old artifacts or historical events.
iii) Secular poetry
(1) Poetry to do with ideas not concerning religion, rhetoric writing style did not allow for good expression of religious ideas.
(2) Epigrams
(a) Brief statements meant to surprise or make fun of someone or something
(3) Panegyrics
(a) Speeches made to praise someone or something, written and presented by the writer of the speech
(4) Satire
(a) Lucian was the father of Byzantine Satire, which is a writing that uses irony to make fun of someone or something
(5) Didactic
(a) Stories intended to teach morale lessons
(6) Begging-Poems
(a) Laments of authors, meant to express physical needs in a poetic form
d) Transition
i) These characteristics and categories of Byzantine literature showed a very superficial and methodical form of writing. However, there was still a small amount of deeper, less traditional Byzantine literature.
5) Theological/Philosophical poetry and popular poetry
a) While most of Byzantine literature was very straightforward and superficial, popular poetry and theological poetry were a big part of Byzantine culture as well.
b) Popular poetry
i) After the capture of Constantinople, literature was totally reformed. Rhetoric style faded away which allowed for more popular ideas and horizons to be represented in literature.
c) Theological and Ecclesiastical literature
i) Romanos was the main writer of theological writings, which was not very prominent at the time.
d) Transition
i) Obviously, both cultures had complex and developed literature, but what could one infer about their cultures from this information?
6) Making Connections
a) Both cultures maintained their unique styles of literature throughout their existences.
b) Islamic Literature vs. Byzantine Literature
i) After observing both styles of literature, it is obvious that the Islamic peoples were more thorough and more thoughtful in their literature, whereas the Byzantine peoples were not able to express deeper ideas through their literature.
ii) This shows a higher educational level in the Islamic culture, which was a result of a superior society, and also a time advantage.
c) Transition
i) Still, both cultures have shaped our modern-day lives in ways we could not begin to understand.
MLA Bibliography
- Halsall, Paul. "Medieval Sourcebook: Selected Sources." Medieval Sourcebook: Selected Sources. Fordham University, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
- "ISLAMIC LITERATURE." ISLAMIC LITERATURE. Cornell University, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
- "Hypertext Qur'an." Hypertext Qur'an. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
- "Byzantine Literature." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
- "Islamic Literature." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
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