Tarikh al-Naqd al-Adabi inda al-Arab
- Author died
- 1424 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Thaqafah
Tarikh al-Naqd al-Adabi inda al-Arab (History of Literary Criticism among the Arabs) is a comprehensive study of classical Arabic literary criticism by the Palestinian scholar Ihsan Abbas (1920–2003 CE / d. 1424 AH) .
Scope and Objectives
The work investigates the development of Arabic literary criticism from the late second century AH to the eighth century AH, covering the historical arc extending from al-Asma'i to Ibn Khaldun across both the Islamic East and West . Abbas undertook the project to re-evaluate classical Arabic criticism and present a systematic intellectual history of the field, drawing upon both printed literature and primary manuscripts .
Rather than limiting his investigation to figures renowned strictly for applied textual criticism—such as al-Amidi, al-Qadi al-Jurjani, and Ibn al-Athir—Abbas incorporated thinkers who contributed theoretical frameworks, including al-Farabi, Avicenna (Ibn Sina), and Ibn Khaldun, seeking the conceptual foundations guiding both theoretical and applied critics .
Methodology and Approach
Abbas completed the book's preface in Beirut in April 1971, dedicating the work to Abu Bakr Abbas . He adopted a chronological framework (al-tadarruj al-zamani) to portray literary criticism as a dynamic, evolving movement across the centuries . Methodologically, he prioritized major intellectual debates over minor rhetorical and stylistic disputes, presenting classical critics within their own conceptual vocabulary rather than imposing modern critical terminology .
The book traces several formative influences on Arabic criticism:
- The Mu'tazilite Role: Abbas argues that systematic literary criticism originated within the intellectual milieu of Mu'tazilism (exemplified by al-Jahiz, Bishr ibn al-Mu'tamir, and al-Nashi al-Akbar), which established rational criteria over temporal bias, treating aesthetic merit as independent of whether a poet was ancient or modern .
- Fourth-Century Impulses: The critical debates of the fourth century AH are analyzed around three primary catalysts: the poetic innovativeness of Abu Tammam, the reception of Aristotelian philosophical thought, and the controversy surrounding al-Mutanabbi .
- Fifth-Century Developments: The work examines the lingering poetic and critical crisis provoked by al-Mutanabbi's legacy and shifting aesthetic tastes during the fifth century AH .
- Regional Divergences in the Sixth and Seventh Centuries: Abbas contrasts the literary climate of Egypt, Syria, and Iraq—where critics largely turned away from Greek philosophical influences—with al-Andalus, where scholars such as Ibn Hazm, Ibn Khafaja, Averroes (Ibn Rushd), and Hazim al-Qartajanni synthesized Arabic literary norms with Greek philosophical insights .
Publication History
The book was published in Beirut by Dar al-Thaqafah, with multiple printings, including a second edition issued in 1978 .
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