The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History: A Forgotten Heritage

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The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History T H E M I D D L E A G E S S E R I E S Ruth Mazo Karras, Series Editor Edward Peters, Founding Editor A complete list of books in the series is available from the publisher The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History A Forgotten Heritage MARIA ROSA MENOCAL PENN University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia The excerpt appearing on p. v is taken from THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco (translated by William Weaver), copyright © 1983 Gruppa Editoriale Fabbri-Bompiani, Sonzogno, Etas S.p.A.; English translation copyright © 1983 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. and Martin Seeker & Warburg Limited. Reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. and Martin Seeker &C Warburg Limited. Copyright © 1987 University of Pennsylvania Press. Afterword copyright © 2004 University of Pennsylvania Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published by University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4011 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Menocal, Maria Rosa The Arabic role in medieval literary history : a forgotten heritage / Maria Rosa Menocal p. cm. (The Middle Ages Series) ISBN 0-8122-1324-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) Originally published: Philadelphia : Universityof Pennsylvania Press, 1987. (The Middle Ages series). With new afterword. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. 1. Literature, Medieval—Arab influences. 2. Romance literature—Arabinfluences. 3. Literature, Medieval—Research. 4. Romance literature—Research. I. Title. II. Series. PN682.A67 M46 2003 809'.02—dc22 2003065792 Designed by Adrianne Onderdonk Dudden "But now tell me," William was saying, "why? Why did you want to shield this book more than so many others. . . . Why did this one fill you with such fear?" "Because it was by the Philosopher . Every book by that man has destroyed a part of the learning that Christianity had accumulated over the centuries. The fathers had said everything that needed to be known about the power of the Word, but then Boethius had only to gloss the Philosopher and the divine mystery of the Word was transformed into a human parody of categories and syllogisms. The Book of Genesis says what has to be known about the composition of the cosmos, but it sufficedto rediscover th Physics of the Philosopher to have the universe conceived in terms of dull and slimy matter, and the Arab Averroes almost convinced everyone of the eternity of the world." — Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose This page intentionally left blank ...