Poetics and Eros in Early Modern Persia
The Lovers’ Confection and The Glorious Epistle by Muhtasham Kāshānī
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9979999 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paul Losensky (Indiana University Bloomington, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 745-764 |
| Publication date | 2009-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Iranian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-0862 • E-ISSN: 1475-4819 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00210860903306036 |
| OpenAlex | W2017916584 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 9 |
The poet Muhtasham Kāshānī (d. 1588) is today known primarily for his strophic elegy on the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbalā, but such devotional poems make up only a tiny fraction of large oeuvre. Far more substantial are two works of a very different tenor, Nuql-i ‘Ushshāq (The Lover's Confection) and Risāla-yi Jalāliyya (The Glorious Epistle) . Using an innovative combination of prose and poetry, these works tell the story of the poet-narrator's stormy affairs with, respectively, an upper-class courtesan and a footman attached to a nobleman's house. As part of the larger literary movement known as the maktab-i vuqū‘ or “realist school,” these purported autobiographical accounts of Muhtasham's amorous adventures reveal a sophisticated culture of eros and desire that differs strikingly from the usual representations of the state of literature and the arts under Shah Tahmāsp. After situating these works in their historical, literary, and cultural contexts, the article turns to a close analysis of an extended passage from each work to show how Muhtasham integrates lyric poetry, narrative, and setting to depict the pursuit of desire in the urbane world of early modern Persia
Adventure · Art · Art history · Elegy · Literature · Narrative · Poetics · Poetry · Education and Islamic Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Philosophy
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| Citations per year | 0.78 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2022 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |