Narratives of Kingship in Eurasian Empires, 1300-1800

Author:   Richard van Leeuwen
Publisher:   Brill
Volume:   11
ISBN:  

9789004340534


Pages:   280
Publication Date:   01 September 2017
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
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Narratives of Kingship in Eurasian Empires, 1300-1800


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Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Richard van Leeuwen
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   11
Weight:   0.300kg
ISBN:  

9789004340534


ISBN 10:   900434053
Pages:   280
Publication Date:   01 September 2017
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

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

Reviews

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.


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.


“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.


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).


Author Information

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).

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