One Thousand and One Nights/Alf Layla Wa-Layla

(Same as Comparative Literature M110.) Knowledge of Arabic not required. Since its appearance in Europe in 1704, One Thousand and One Nights is most well-known work of Arabic literature in West. Examination of cycle of tales more commonly known as Arabian Nights , including history of its translation, contemporary oral performances of tales in Arabic-speaking world, literary emergence of vernacular language in relation to classical Arabic, and Western appropriations of tales in music, film, and novels (Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, Barth, Poe, and Walt Disney).

P/NP or letter grading.