SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This thesis deals with the trends and movements of contemporary Arabic poetry. It is arranged in two parts and comprises an introduction, ten chapters, a conclusion and a bibliography. In the introduction the method followed in writing this work is explained and compared with various methods of writing literary history. Part I, in two chapters, is a study of the cultural roots of contemporary Arabic poetry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A section depicts the emergence in the nineteenth century of a healthy poetic revival along Classical lines. Part II: The first chapter deals with the confirmation of neo-Classicism, the early infiltration of Romanticism, and the first signs of interest in new ideas and forms. The second chapter examines the poetry of the Immigrant Arab poets in Latin America and the United States, known as Mahjar poetry. The North American contribution, which established the trend of Romanticism in Arabic poetry, is shown to be radically different from the South American, which continued to be mainly along Classical lines. Chapter 3 deals with the change of poetic sensibility and critical criteria in the Arab world. Chapter 4 is dedicated to the discussion of the Romantic movement in the poetry of the Arab East. The achievements of modern Arab Romantics are assessed and the rise of decadent streaks is discussed. Chapter 5 deals with the Symbolist trend in contemporary poetry, assesses the depth and importance of this experiment and shows its relativity to the current poetic scene. The output of critics Mar?n 'Abbad and Muhammad Mandar has been instrumental in bringing about poetic change. Chapter 6 represents a critical evaluation of their roles and methods. Chapter 7 gives an account of the beginning of the free verse movement, the theorisation which accompanied its initial stages, the vehement controversy it produced, and the vital role of avant-garde magazines. The categories of "committed poetry" and "platform poetry" are also dealt with. Chapter 8 is devoted to the technical achievements of contemporary poetry in the sphere of form (with a study of prose poetry); tone; attitude and themes; diction; dramatic poetry; imagery; and obliquities; symbol, allusion, folklore , myth and archetype.