The Reader in al-JahizThe Epistolary Rhetoric of an Arabic Prose Master

Explores the intricately crafted rhetorical strategies used by al-Jāḥiẓ in his letters

• Looks at letters from one of the most unique minds of the Abbasid era that cover sectarian and ethnic rivalries, ethical questions, intoxicating beverages and daily life
• Relates al-Jāḥiẓ’s experiments with the letter frame to his views on occupations, human geography and other issues of his day
• Examines the role of self-parody in al-Jāḥiẓ’s fictional conversations with his addressees
• Explores the rich interplay of contending voices

The 9th-century essayist, theologian and encyclopaedist ‘Amr b. Baḥr al-Jāḥiẓ has long been acknowledged as a master of early Arabic prose writing. Many of his most engaging writings were clearly intended for a broad readership but were presented as letters to individuals. Despite the importance and quantity of these letters, surprisingly little academic notice has been paid to them.

Now, Thomas Hefter takes a new approach in interpreting some of al-Jāḥiẓ’s ‘epistolary monographs’. By focussing on the varying ways in which he wrote to the addressee, Hefter shows how al-Jāḥiẓ shaped his conversations on the page in order to guide (or manipulate) his actual readers and encourage them to engage with his complex materials.