Beloved: Islam through its Literature

Catalog description

This course explores Islam as a practiced religion through the theme of love as described in literature. The seminar examines a broad range of writing including hymns, love poetry, epic romances, short stories and novels. The materials will be drawn from the entire history of Islamic society from the 8th century until the present, and from a spectrum of cultural contexts and languages, including Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu and Punjabi. In addition to introducing students to the literature and its contexts, the course will explore issues such as the place of emotion in religion, the erotic as a frame of expressing religious relationships, the connection between religion and visual art, the limits of language and problems of translation. Open to undergraduates with permission.