Throwing Down the Verbal Gauntlet, the Arabic Invective of Jarīr and Al-Farazdaq: The Arabic Invective of Jarīr and Al-Farazdaq

by Cory Jorgensen

Overview

Throwing Down the Verbal Gauntlet showcases Arab “rapper” poets Jarīr and al-Farazdaq. This eighth-century duo is best known for a series of verbal battles (flytings) they carried out over several decades. Verbal Gauntlet argues that these poets performed in order to elevate their own prestige, just as rappers do in modern-day “Dozens” battles. These were performances for performance’s sake, a first for a genre traditionally associated with settling tribal disputes. The book provides a new interpretation of this poetry and changes the way we see the intertwining roles of poet, opponent, and audience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789004716254
Publisher:	Brill Academic Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/14/2025
Series:	Supplements to the Journal of Arabic Literature , #1
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Cory Jorgensen, Ph.D. (2012), University of Texas at Austin, is Assistant Professor of Arabic at George Washington University. He has published on classical Arabic literature and Arabic pedagogy, including, “Jarīr and al-Farazdaq’s Naqāʾiḍ Performance,” Journal of Arabic Literature 54 (2023).

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

Introduction
 1 Naqāʾiḍ and “The Naqāʾiḍ”
 2 Performance

1 The Performance: Jarīr, al-Farazdaq, and the Naqāʾiḍ
 1 Performance Aspects of the Naqāʾiḍ
 2 Naqāʾiḍ Passages

2 The Stage: Mirbad Market
 1 Introduction
 2 Style and Content of the Naqāʾiḍ
 3 “Emergence” of Social Structure
 4 Conclusion

3 The Process: Jarīr and al-Farazdaq’s “Collusion”
 1 Introduction
 2 Stock Devices
 3 Conclusion

4 The Goal: Winning Over the Audience
 1 Introduction
 2 Managing Poetic Image
 3 Gaining Poetic Prestige
 4 Conclusion

Appendix1: Jarīr and al-Farazdaq’s Naqāʾiḍ Corpus
Appendix2: Jarīr and al-Farazdaq’s Qaṣīda Structure
Appendix3: Quoted Passages
Appendix4: Naqāʾiḍ Poems
Bibliography
Index