Reconstructing the Past

This chapter argues that, no matter whether the narratives claim or deny that physical contact took place in the relationships between lovers, the result is still the same. The body lies at the heart of the ‘udhri tradition. The lack of physical consummation, or indeed of physicality itself, serves only to inflame desire, since it only draws more attention to that which is being denied. Hence, this shows us the privileged position of the body by means of the prominent duality of its presence and absence. The very concept of chastity involves a conscious denial of physical contact, and this consciousness often implies a correspondingly strong awareness of physicality.

Aesthetics · Consciousness · Consummation · Denial · Epistemology · Narrative · Psychoanalysis · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · Philosophy · Psychology