Reading Notes: Arabian Nights, Part A

 
Arabian Nights
Source: Tumblr

Title: Arabian Nights
Author: Andrew Lang
Link: Here

Scheherazade was an iconic heroine. Self-sacrificing and she challenged potential death armed with her wits. There was a solid bond of sisterhood. Then came the first story in a 1000 nights. It's the cliffhanger tactic of storytelling still present in fact and fictional stories, no matter the media.

The Merchant and the Genius - It was very much a mirror to her own predicament. How she, because of her gender, was blamed for another woman's crime and forced to pay for it despite being unwitting to the crime.

Also, she would have been unable to succeed with Dinarzade, who is equally a pivotal character.

A story within a story -- layers of characters and plots influencing the main one. Layers upon layers woven together.

The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind -- A reversal of the swan princess where the prince was the animal, but the woman saved him by recognizing the magic. The old wife could be an allegory of the sultan's  previous spouse, and she the innocent calf sent to be sacrificed.

The Two Black Dogs -- The weakened bonds of family when money is involved. Again, a woman hero, this time a fairy.

The Story of the Fisherman -- The poor fisherman with terrible luck, fishing out a genius and having to choose his own death, instead is facing a story. Then the story takes the trickster turn of luring the danger back from where it came from.

The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban -- A sultan saved by a physician, and a jealous vizier who has to hear a story about why the sultan doesn't trust him.

"... this is a story about a man and his parrot... who are characters in a story that the Greek king is telling to his vizir... who are characters in a story being told by a fisherman to the genie... who are characters in a story being told by Scheherazade to her husband the sultan... who are characters in the Arabian Nights!"

What layering!

There was the parrot killed because of the wife's machinations, and now the unrependful vizier who twists it with his own story.

The Physician's Revenge -- what a twist! Poison in the pages?

The Sultan and the Fish -- The Sultan seeing the amazing fish from the fisherman gets his curiosity incited. Tracks it to a magnificent palace.

The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles -- The final layer. Wrapping up neatly each story.

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