Unit 9

English 203: Literature of the NonWestern World

Review:

You learned about Indian & Persian folk wisdom in regard to growing up.  The 1,001 Nights features many of the same concerns as the The Epic of Gilgamesh & Homer's Iliad.  What is the role of power or violence in the process of developing an adult identity?  How can power be controlled by something less than or different from power?  & what would that be?  In all 3 works the answer is beauty.  Female beauty conquers male aggression & violence.  The marriage of the two fosters civilization (children).

You learned about Sufism & how it developed. You also learned that the typical 30 second news story on Muslims celebrates violence but says little about Islam.

You know an Egyptian Nobel Laureate, Naguib Mahfouz.  You also learned that he believes that Sufism continues to be an Islamic option today in Egypt.  You also saw that like Christianity, Islam laments secular erosion of its power or its claim to be the sole value in life.

Next week we will begin the 1st of 3 lessons on Africa (the last 2 deal with Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart).  You will see Islamic influences in 14th c. Mali in North Africa.  Hope you can listen to some music by Salif Keita in preparation for that  See you next week.