Titles of poetic anthologies, examples from the Abbasid and Andalusian eras, a critical and analytical reading at the threshold of heading

Abstract

Poetic anthologies are a fertile field for the study of poetry, literature, criticism, and language across the eras of Arabic literature, as they represent rich references for these materials related to literature and language in any given era. Moreover, they reflect the degree of taste and culture of the compilers in particular, and of those from whom these anthologies were received in general. Therefore, this research came to study poetic anthologies, and one aspect of culture, taste, and proficiency in the methods of authorship and compilation, which is the threshold of titling, under the title: (Titles of Poetic Anthologies, Examples from the Abbasid and Andalusian Eras - A Critical Poetic anthologies are a fertile field for the study of poetry, literature, criticism, and language across the eras of Arabic literature, as they constitute rich references for these fields related to literature and language in different historical periods. They also reflect the extent of the compilers’ literary taste and cultural knowledge in particular, as well as that of those who received these anthologies from them in general. Therefore, this research examines poetic anthologies and one aspect of culture, taste, and proficiency in methods of authorship and compilation, namely the threshold of titling, under the title: “Titles of Poetic Anthologies: Examples from the Abbasid and Andalusian Eras—A Critical Analytical Reading of the Titling Threshold.” The research is divided into an introduction and a preamble, in which poetic anthologies and their spread in the Mashriq and Andalusia, the threshold of titling in critical studies, and modern criticism are examined. The research is then divided into two sections: the first addresses poetic anthologies in the Abbasid and Andalusian eras and their literary significance, while the second examines the threshold of titling in selected examples of poetic anthologies from the Abbasid and Andalusian eras. The conclusion presents the most important findings of the research, including that the titles of poetic anthologies in the Abbasid era followed the traditional method of attributing the collection to its author or compiler, unlike most Andalusian anthologies, whose titles followed the style of rhymed prose (sajʿ). The Andalusians were also influenced in their anthologies by those of the Abbasid era, as evidenced by the Maghribi Hamāsah, which held for them a status comparable to that of Abū Tammām’s Hamāsah among the Eastern Arabs. The predominant function of titles in poetic anthologies is identification, while some titles also served other functions, such as attraction and ambiguity.Analytical Reading of the Titling Threshold). I have divided the research into an introduction and a preamble, in which I studied poetic anthologies and their spread in the Mashriq and Andalusia, the threshold of titling in critical study, and modern criticism. Then I divided the research into two sections: the first on poetic anthologies in the Abbasid and Andalusian eras and their literary importance, and the second on studying the threshold of titling in selected examples of poetic anthologies from the Abbasid and Andalusian eras. Then, in the conclusion, I mentioned the most important findings of the research, including that the titles of poetic anthologies in the Abbasid era followed the old method of attributing the collection to its author or compiler, unlike the majority of Andalusian anthologies, which came in the style of rhymed prose (saj'). And that the Andalusians were influenced in their anthologies by the anthologies of the Abbasid era, with no stronger evidence than the Maghribi Hamāsah, which for them holds the same status as Abū Tammām's Hamāsah held for the Easterners. The dominant function of the title in poetic anthologies is identification, while other functions such as allure and ambiguity appeared in some titles.