ENG 214 Arabian Nights &Days Ch. 1-7 Notes PDF

Preview

Summary

Professor: Christine Doyle...

Description





Arabian Nights and Days - a 1982 novel by Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz that purports to be a sequel to the Arabian Nights stories in that it begins where the Nights left off o It begins with the King’s decision to let his enchanting storyteller/wife live Retells many tales from the Nights as it moves forward o Key theme: do things ever really change?

Egypt 

 



A land whose civilization is ancient and awe-inspiring, and whose modern history is in turmoil o In 1922, Egypt became independent from England, establishing a monarchial government (a king) o Monarchy lasted 30 years until the Egyptian military overthrew the king in 1952 and set up a socialist government with a president (although it was a one-party system and functioned largely as a dictatorship) President Gamal Abdel Nasser had been the leader of the revolution and served as Egypt’s president from 1956 until his death in 1970, enacting reforms to modernize Egypt Anwar Sadat: Nasser’s successor who continued this forward movement, establishing a multi-party parliament and even signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, separate from other Arab countries People opposing the peace treaty are largely believed to have been responsible for Sadat’s assassination in 1981

Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) Arabian Nights and Days - Introduction and Opening Chapters  Structure of Nights suggests that nighttime is a time for dreaming, for fantasy, but the daytime is for work, for real life  Stories Shahrazad tells take place over periods of time, days and nights, but the frame itself is only a nighttime experience o In Mahfouz’s novel, on the other hand, we are immersed in daytime as well as nighttime activities on a regular basis  Continuing motif of tale: the relationship between imaginative story/the stuff of dreams and the realities of everyday life  Begins with the sultan deciding that he wishes to let his storyteller live as his wife with no further threat of beheading o In this sense, it is also a sequel to the earlier story, set at the time but in fact written some 700 years later  Four characters from the frame are here: Shahrayar = Shahriyar, Shahrazad = Shahrzad, and Dunarzad = Dunyazad o Vizier, the father of the two women, gets a name: Dandan  Third-person narrator who speaks omnisciently - reader is privy to conversations and events from a wide range of perspectives  First two chapters show us Shahriyar’s and then Shahrzad’s reactions to the sultan’s decision



Chapters 5-7: Sanaan al-Gamali & Gamasa al-Bulti, The Porter o Similar to the “Demon” stories from Arabian Nights

Chapter 1: Shahriyar (p. 1-2)  Vizier Dandan is called to a meeting with the sultan Shahriyar after 3 years of his daughter Shahrzad telling stories to him o Stories had ended the day before  Shahrzad reveals to Dandan that he wishes to keep Shahrzad alive as his wife o “She bore me a son and my troubled spirits were put at peace,” (2)  Chapter ends as morning comes Chapter 2: Shahrzad (p. 3-4)  Dandan meets his daughters Shahrzad and Dunyazad in the rose room  Shahrzad to Dandan: “May God have mercy on those innocent virgins,” (3)  Shahrzad says she is unhappy o Disgusted with her husband  Shahrzad: “As for me, I know that my spiritual station lies in patience, as the great sheikh taught me,” (4) Chapter 3: The Sheikh (p. 5-7)  Sheikh Abdullah al Balkhi - a spiritual teacher who many characters have studied o Sheik of the Way - having attained a high plane in the spiritual station of love and contentment  Left place of seclusion for reception room o Young and only daughter Zubeida comes to him and says that the city is rejoicing over Shahrzad being kept alive and the sultan renouncing the shedding of blood  Doctor enters - a friend of the sheikh o Says that people are giving him credit - if she had not had been his pupil as a child, she would not have had the stories to divert the sultan from shedding blood  Sounds of people celebrating prompts the doctor to make his way to the Cafe of the Emirs

Chapter 4: The Cafe of the Emirs (p. 8-10)  Couches along the sides for higher-class customers with mattresses in the middle for the common folk  At night - many high-class customers as well as ordinary folk o High-class  Sanaan al-Gamali and his son Fadil  Hamdan Tuneisha and Karam al-Aseel  Sahloul and Ibraham al-Attar the druggist and his son Hasan  Galil al-Bazzaz the draper  Nur al-din the perfume seller

 Shamloul the hunchback Ordinary folk  Ragab the porter and his crony Sinbad  Ugr the barber and his son Aladdin  Ibrahim the water-carrier  Ma’rouf the cobbler Doctor Abdul Qadir joins group including: o Ibraham al-Attar o Karam al-Aseel - a millionaire o Sahloul - bric-brac merchant and furnisher All had recovered from fear of their virgin daughter being murdered that night Ragab (the porter) says to Sinbad (porter/Ragab’s assistant) are you mad? Ugr (the barber) - questions what’s gotten into Sinbad o Ragab - Sinbad has grown to hate is work and the city - no longer wants to be a porter o Sinbad decides to go to sea as a servant to the ship’s captain Ibraham (the water-carrier) and Ma’rouf (the cobbler) both question Sinbad’s decision o Nur al-Din (the perfume-seller): “In movement is a blessing” Doctor tells Sinbad to go but to keep his wits and to record the sights he comes across Sinbad says he is leaving in the morning o



  

  

Chapter 5: Sanaan Al-Gamali (p. 11-28)  Section I (p. 11) o Sanaan al-Gamali gets out of bed with his wife Umm Saad and steps on a genie’s head (Qumqam) o Sanaan al-Gamali = “a man without the tiniest atom of valor: he excelled at nothing but buying and selling and bargaining,” (11) o Sanaan al-Gamali says he will do as the genie says  Genie tells him to kill Ali al-Salouli (corrupt governor) o Governor had brought genie under his power with black magic and was making him do bad things  Section II (p. 13) o Sanaan wakes up to wife relieved o Shows wife the bite on his arm  Neither of them acknowledge it was the genie for fear of destroying his reputation as well as his son Fadil’s and his daughter Husniya’s  Wife: “This is not the Sanaan of old”  Fadil to Husniya: “How changed father is!”  Section III (p. 16) o Left house frustrated and for the first time in his life, without saying his prayers o Went to see friend/druggist Ibrahim  Asks him to treat the dog bite o “He was cheered by neither face nor world,” (16)  Section IV (p. 17) o The regulars at the Cafe of the Emirs are made known of Sanaan’s condition when he arrived there and moped

One night he takes a crazy amount of dope and leaves the cafe full of energy Does not want to go home so he stumbles around in the dark Passed by Sheikh Abdullah al-Balkhi’s cul-de-sac and briefly contemplated confiding to him what had occurred but decided not to and continued on o Grabs a 10-year-old girl off the street and is saved from the situation by the genie who appears as the girl’s mother/father approaches his hiding spot  Tells him to open his eyes and he will be at his front doorstep Section V (p. 19) o Next morning, the mother of the girl, Baseema, arrives and tells his wife that her daughter’s been raped and murdered under the elementary school stairway Section VI (p. 20) o Sees Ibrahim again to treat his arm  Sanaan: “He’s a madman, there’s no doubt of that,” (20) Section VII (p. 20) o Ali al-Salouli, the governor of the quarter, heard from his private secretary Buteisha Murgan what was being said about security (in reaction to murder/rape of Baseema) and called to the chief of police Gamasa al-Bulti  “The chief of police’s inner calm did not change when he had learned about his superior’s secrets and acts of corruption,” (21) o Governor demands that the chief of police find and bring him the perpetrator before nightfall Section VIII (p. 21) o Governor passes him in the streets  Becomes enraged  Governor: “We’ll be seeing you soon, God willing,” (22) Section IX (p. 22) o Genie comes and sees him that night  Says that he alone is responsible for his crime against the girl o Genie says that he chose him “to be saved, to be the saving of the quarter from the head of corruption, and the saving of your sinful self”  Genie adds that the chance is still there: “Life gives opportunities for both reflection and repentance,” (23) o Genie tells him that he will invite him to meet him  “I chose you only for deliverance,” (23) Section X (p. 23) o Wife tells him there is a message from the governor waiting for him in the reception room - Buteisha Murgan is there and tells him that the governor wants to see him o Before leaving, he slips a dagger with a handle of pure silver he had received as a gift from India in his pocket without his wife seeing Section XI (p. 24) o Received by the governor in his summer mansion at the governorate’s garden o Governor tells him that he’s invited him for more than one reason - he wants to marry his daughter, Husniya  Says that he also has a daughter as a gift for his son, Fadil o o o















Also asks him to bring his relative, the contractor Hamdan Tuneisha, to him the next evening to discuss the construction of a road alongside the desert the whole length of the quarter o Took the dagger and stabbed the governor in the heart as he was kicked back with his eyes closed  “He stabbed with a strength drawn from determination, despair, and a final desire to escape,” (26) Section XII (p. 27) o Dagger disappeared after he stabbed the governor o Genie appears  “My faith prevents me from interfering now that I have taken possession of my free will,” (27)  “Your fault, Sanaan, is that you don’t think like a human being,” (27)  “He who does good is not troubled by the consequences,” (28) o



Chapter 6: Gamasa Al-Bulti (p. 29-50)  Section I (p. 29) o The “habitues” heard about what happened to Sanaan al-Gamali  Shabeeb Rama the executioner cut off his head o “He had a good status among the merchants and the notables and belonged to that minority that was held in affection by the poor,” (29) o They all gossip about the situation  Section II (p. 31) o Gamasa al-Bulti the chief of police goes fishing by the river  Given it up for forty days as act of mourning for governor  Felt sorry for murdered as well o “For he had a heart despite the fact that many did not think so,” (31) o New governor = Khalil al-Hamadhani (corrupt) o Net got heavy - brings it in and there’s not a single fish  Section III (p. 32) o Net contained only a metal ball o Threw the ball into the bottom of the boat  Out came a genie - Singam  “Protection from harm, by our Lord Solomon!,” (32) o Qumqam arrives and congratulates Singam for his freedom o Singam tells Qumqam he would like to “take a decision about this human”  Qumqam advises Singam to not take a decision while in rage - asks him to go to the mountains of Qaf and celebrate his liberation  Section IV (p. 35) o Gamasa comes ashore and is met by a slave who folds up his net  Slave says he was watching him while he fished and did not see the encounter with the genie o Still, Gamasa did not doubt what had happened  Thought of Sanaan - saw him as an unfortunate victim - began to wonder anxiously  Section V (p. 35)

Kept it secret - didn’t even tell his wife Rasmiya  If he divulged in his secret he would harm his position and lose his post o “He was by nature strong and would defy difficulties and misgivings,” (36) o Umm Saad visited Rasmiya in hopes that Gamasa would help her make a petition to the governor to return their properties  Gamasa says he will not help her Section VI (p. 37) o Truly felt sorry for Sannan’s family o Revealed that he loves Sannan’s daughter, Husniya o Arranges secret meeting with Sannan’ son, Fadil  Tells Fadil that he has a duty - he has pledged loyalty to the governor of the quarter in exterminating the apostates  Warns Fadil and advises him to pay attention to who his friends are, father than arresting/exterminating him  Also is thinking of his mother, Umm Saad  Tells Fadil to warn her that presenting a petition for the return of family property to the governor would be regarded as a challenge to the sultan  Section VII (p. 38) o Several highway robberies were occurring throughout the city and Gamasa could not make a single arrest o The habitues talked down on Gamasa  Ugr the barber: Gamasa “is the worst possible,” (39) o Ibrahim the druggist proposes that some of them go as a deputation to alHamadhani  Section VIII (p. 39) o Governor Khalil al-Hamadhani summons Gamasa to the house of government  Yells at him for not taking care of the highway robbery situation o Gamasa asks governor for permission to re-arrest the vagabonds who had previously been wrongly arrested for Sanaan’s crime  Says that they are taking revenge o Warns Gamasa that if he doesn’t get security under control he’ll be dismissed  Gamasa leaves the house of government “feeling demeaned for the first time in his life,” (40)  Section IX (p. 40) o He became angry with being insulted “and his strong and defiant nature took control of him,” (40)  His tendencies towards good became submerged o “Authority had completely absorbed him and had created of him something new so that he had become oblivious to the goodly words he had learned at the hands of the sheikh in the prayer room in the time of innocence,” (40) o Began to torture people he suspected of being involved in crimes o Incidents increased in number and violence despite this  Section X (p. 41) o Gamasa refused to accept defeat o Singam appears o



Gamasa realizes that Singam is the master of the “brigands”/robbers and is the reason why he hasn’t been able to catch them  Gamasa asks the genie to help him get rid of the criminals and rule the people justly and honestly Gamasa wakes to his deputy who informs him that he has been summoned to meet the governor  Section XI (p. 43) Days of pride had come to an end for Gamasa  Sole consolation was that he was the sword of the state  “A murderous robber, protector of criminals, torturer of innocent men. He had forgotten God until he had been reminded of Him by a genie,” (43)  Section XII (p. 44) Governor scolds him again  Section XIII (p. 44) Narrator: “What was the point of searching? What could his men do in the face of Singam’s power?,” (44)  “But Gamasa would not accept his fate without defending himself,” (44) Decides to go visit the sheikh  Confides in him and says that the matter he is involved in “requires taking counsel,” (45)  Sheikh replies, after refusing to let him tell his story, that it is his decision alone and that his only concern is that he takes his decision “for the sake of God alone,” (45)  Section XIV (p. 45) Left the sheikh’s house divided between doubt and certainty Finally, made a decision in solidarity from his family and even the genie  Faced the situation with courage and resolve Freed the Shiites and Kharijites Went to house of government that evening - no longer concerned himself with “the faces and places he met on his way as though they no longer concerned him,” (46) Gamasa arrives, draws his sword and stabs the governor in the neck  “I am doing my duty,” (47)  Section XV (p. 47) Gamasa was arrested  He did not try to escape and he did not resist - believed his task had been completed False rumors of what was going on reached the sultan - vizier Dandan came to the house of government with a squadron of cavalry  Section XVI (p. 47) Gamasa is brought before the throne in the Hall of Judgement Shahriyar appears and questions Gamasa Gamasa says that he killed the governor to “fulfill the just will of God,” (p. 48) Gamasa says that he does not care what his punishment is  Section XVII (p. 49) Gamasa is taken back to underground prison and falls asleep 

o

o

o o

o

o o o o

o

o

o

o o o o o

Wakes up and is watching over himself being beaten by the soldiers  Saw himself in a state of extreme terror and collapse  Also, free of his bonds - resolved to leave the prison  Follow him o Whole city gathered in the square where punishment was about to take place men, women and children o Shabeeb Rama (the executioner) cut off his head o Singam appears and tells Gamasa that he is indeed himself and who they killed was a “likeness of” his “making” (50) o

Chapter 7: The Porter (p. 51-76)  Section I (p. 51) o Gamasa assumes form of a slim Ethiopian with crimpy hair and a light beard  Sad about family - witnessed the eviction of his wife and daughter from their home o High-class citizens curse his head (which hangs from above the door of his house) while the common folk express pity o Yusuf al-Tahir = new governor  Adnan Shouma = new chief of police o Gamasa asks Sahloul the bric-a-brac merchant to tell him the story of what happened to himself  Sahloul does not  Gamasa recalls that Sahloul was the only influential merchant not to have formed a suspect relationship with him as the chief of police or the governor o Gamasa approaches Ragab the porter and tells him he wants to become a porter too 









Section II (p. 52) o Rented a room in the same residence building as Rasmiya and Akraman - also where Sanaan’s family was living  Became known as Abdullah the porter Section III (p. 53) o Would feel alive working with Ragab but dead seeing his suspended head or his wife and daughter o “He resolved to walk along the path of godliness till the end,” (53) Section IV (p. 54) o Sultan admits to Dandan that he was prepared to imprison Gamasa but executed him due to the way he addressed him Section V (p. 56) o Abdullah builds a relationship with Fadil Sanaan  Fadil calls him Uncle Abdullah  Abdullah encourages him to marry his daughter, Akraman o Based on the strength of his loyalty and piety, Abdullah would marry Rasmiya  But if he was to choose based on his desires, he would marry Husniya Section VI (p. 57)

Abdullah: “Have I been kept in life by a miracle that I might work as a porter?,” (57)  Also pondered why Singam did not desert him the way Qumqam did to Sanaan o Aimlessly wandered over to the sheikh’s house o Sheikh says he has known 3 types of disciples  People who learn from the principles and strive in the world  People who penetrate deeply in learning and assume control of things  People who persevere in journeying right up to the spiritual station of love o Sheikh: “Each in proportion to his zeal,” (58) Section VII (p. 58) o Fadil meets Abdullah on the stairway of the public fountain and tells him he is going to marry Akraman  Says that he will also ask for Rasmiya’s hand on his behalf o Fadil then tells him the stories of Sanaan and Gamasa Section VIII (p. 59) o After hearing stories, Abdullah says that God honors those he wishes to honor and humbles those he wishes to humble  Fadil responds: “Each in accordance with his zeal,” (59) o











Section IX (p. 60) o Abdullah shoots an arrow through Buteisha Murgan’s heart  Guards arrested every passerby they came across  The news spread to the vizier and throughout the whole city o Abdullah sees Sahloul talking to Karam al-Aseel at the Cafe of Emirs and gets nervous  Sahloul was in the company of Buteisha when Abdullah shot the arrow  Realized that as the chief of police, Sahloul was the only “people of position” who was a complete mystery to him Section X (p. 61) o Umm Saad tells Rasmiya her son Fadil would like to marry Rasmiya’s daughter Akraman o Rasmiya says she does not want to marry Abdullah - says that she has not forgotten Gamasa  “Yes Abdullah was upset at having to bury his emotions, but the Gamasa who was hidden inside him was overjoyed,” (62) Section XI (p. 62) o Wedding his held in Umm Saad’s room o Abdullah attended and brought amber and incense as a present to the coup...