Quran as Literature

Catalog description

This class is an introduction to Quran as literature. The Quran is a book that has become a source of spiritual guidance and law for a billion and a half people the world over. The course focuses on the Quran as sacred history, as part of oral or even visual performance, as document of religious community formation in late antiquity, and as site of Muslim hermeneutical activity. During this interaction between the students and the "Quran-as-text," we will study the history of its compilation, narrative structure, rhetorical strategies, major themes; connections to and departures from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, Quran commentary and exegesis, translation and the problems associated with it, and literary aspects.