AWEJ. Special Issue on Literature No.

2 October, 2014
Pp. 125- 136

A Structural Approach to The Arabian Nights

Sura M. Khrais
Department of English Language and Literature
Princess Alia University College
Al-Balqa Applied University
Amman, Jordan

Abstract
This paper introduces a structural study of The Arabian Nights, Book III. The structural
approach used by Vladimir Propp on the Russian folktales along with Tzvetan Todorov's ideas on
the literature of the fantastic will be applied here. The researcher argues that structural reading
of the chosen ten stories is fruitful because structuralism focuses on multiple texts, seeking how
these texts unify themselves into a coherent system. This approach enables readers to study the
text as a manifestation of an abstract structure. The paper will concentrate on three different
aspects: character types, narrative technique and setting (elements of place). First, the researcher
classifies characters according to their contribution to the action. Propp's theory of the function
of the dramatist personae will be adopted in this respect. The researcher will discuss thirteen
different functions. Then, the same characters will be classified according to their conformity to
reality into historical, imaginative, and fairy characters. The role of the fairy characters in The
Arabian Nights will be highlighted and in this respect Vladimir's theory of the fantastic will be
used to study the significance of the supernatural elements in the target texts. Next, the narrative
techniques in The Arabian Nights will be discussed in details with a special emphasis on the
frame story technique. Finally, the paper shall discuss the features of place in the tales and show
their distinctive yet common elements. Thus the study of character types, narrative technique and
setting in The Arabian Nights allows the reader to understand the common forms which develop
into a meaningful system that distinguish these stories
Key words: Structural approach, functions of dramatist personae, fairy characters, the fantastic,
frame story.

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ISSN: 2229-9327
 AWEJ. Special Issue on Literature No.2 October , 2014
A Structural Approach to The Arabian Nights Khrais

A Structural Approach to The Arabian Nights

One Thousand and One Night is a collection of Middle Eastern and Indian stories and folk tales
complied in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is also called The Arabian Nights and it is
of uncertain date and authorship. Its tales of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sindbad the Sailor have
almost become part of Western folklore. In this paper I argue that a structural approach which
enables us to read and compare multiple texts at the same time and which is applied on ten
stories from The Arabian Nights, Book III, introduces a new reading of three major aspects:
character types, narrative technique and setting (elements of place). However, sometimes the
researcher refers to more other stories that enrich the discussion. The researcher shall use the
structural approach applied by Vladimir Propp on the Russian folktales along with Tzvetan
Todorov's ideas on the literature of the fantastic. First, the characters of The Arabian Nights will
be classified according to their contribution to the action. Propp's theory of the function of the
dramatist personae will be adopted in this respect. On the other hand, the same characters will be
classified according to their conformity to reality into historical, imaginative, and fairy
characters. While discussing the role of the fairy characters in The Arabian Nights, Vladimir's
theory of the fantastic will be used to study the significance of the supernatural elements in the
target texts. Next, the narrative techniques in The Arabian Nights will be analyzed. Finally, the
paper shall discuss the features of place in the tales and show their distinctive yet common
elements.
Structural criticism relates literary texts to a larger structure which may be particular
genre, a range of intertextual connections, a model of universal narrative structure, or a system of
recurrent patterns or motifs (Barry, 40). Thus, structural reading focuses on multiple texts,
seeking how these texts unify themselves into a coherent system. This approach enables readers
to study the text as a manifestation of an abstract structure. The goal of structuralism is not a
description of a particular work, the designation of its meaning, but establishment of general
laws of which this particular text is the product (Todorov, 133). Structural analysis uncovers
the connection that exists between a system of forms and a system of meanings (Genette, 136).
Thus the study of character types, narrative technique and setting in The Arabian Nights allows
the reader to understand the common forms which develop into a meaningful system that
distinguish these stories. By applying a structural approach to the selected stories of The Arabian
Nights this paper studies the properties that distinguish the book as a whole. This study aims at
reconstituting the unit of the work and its principle of coherence which almost no critic, to the
best of my knowledge, has done before.
Most works on The Arabian Nights address the historical reception of the book in research
from the nineteenth century onward ( Ali, 1980, Caracciolo, 1968, 1988), its historical context
(Makdisi and Nussbaum, 2008), its origins and evolution (Aliakbari, 2014), the history of the
title (Goitein, 1958), its circulation among booksellers in twelfth- century Cairo (Abbott, 1949,
Goitein, 1958, Grotzfeld, 1985; 1996-7, Mahdi, 1995), the sources used by French translators
who introduced the text to the West, as well as influence of great literature on the tales
(Marzolph, 2006, Grunebaum, 1942) , the genre of romance in the tales (Heath, 1987-1988),
interpretations of single stories from the collection (Allen, 1984, Bencheikh, 1997, Cooperson,
1994, Hamori, 1971, Mahdi, 1984, Molan, 1987), the nature of sexual politics surrounding the
character of Sheherazade and the repercussion of The Arabian Nights in modern Arabic
Literature (Malti-Douglas, 1997). A distinctive study of story- telling technique is introduced by
David Pinault (1992). Many comparative studies discuss the influence of The Arabian Nights on

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English literature (Al-Olaqi, 2012), Iranian culture (Marzolph,2005, 2006), literature on general
(Ghazoul, 1996), and ancient medieval European literature (Tuczay, 2005). This paper
introduces a new point of view different from the ones discussed in the previous works.
The Arabian Nights includes a large number of characters. The tales usually begin by
introducing us to a specific situation in which the hero is presented to us along with other
members of his family. Usually there is a reference to his status and his profession. However,
each character in the tale has a certain function. Propp defines function as an act of a character,
defined from the point of view of its significance for the course of action (Propp, 21). Each
character has a sphere of action that generates the thirty-one functions which Propp has spotted
in the Russian folk tales. This paper shall discuss thirteen different functions that the researcher
found in the target text and will show that this limited number of functions is a fundamental
component of the tales.
After the initial situation is depicted, the tale takes the following sequence of thirteen
functions which are all defined by Propp;
1. Absentation. A member of a family leaves the security of the home environment. This
may be the hero or some other member of the family that the hero will later need to rescue. This
division of the cohesive family injects initial tension into storyline. The hero may also be
introduced here, often being shown as an ordinary person. In The Arabian Nights, as in the
Russian folk tales, this act of absentation is voluntary; however, sometimes the absence of the
character is unwilling because it is caused by the death of the character concerned. The character
who performs this action either belongs to the older generation or to the younger one. For
instance, in "The Fisherman and the Ifrit", the king leaves his kingdom to discover the secret of
the lake and the colorful fish. However, in "The Son of the King of Kings", the young prince
leaves for hunting; a journey in which he gets lost then he is kidnapped by a goblin. In "King
Yonan and Wise Royan", the king is poisoned and finally he is unwillingly absent from the
scene.
2. Interdiction. An interdiction is addressed to the hero ('don't go there', 'don't do this'). In
The Arabian Nights, the characters are prevented from doing something either directly or
indirectly. In "The Porter of Baghdad" tale, the porter receives the following instructions, "Bring
your cage and follow me" (36); "Don't ask about something that does not concern you or you
shall hear what will make you angry" (38). Ja'afar, the minister, suggests to the Calif Haroon al-
Rasheed saying, "Don't get in, Calif. Those people are drunk" (40) and later the Calif says, "Find
a trick so we may get in" (40).
3. Violation. An act by which the function of interdiction is violated. This is followed by
the introduction of a new character, usually the villain. In "The Second Qalandar" tale, the king's
daughter warns the Qalandar not to break the talisman or he shall provoke the Jinn. But the
Qalandar disobeys the order and the Jinn appears who latter on tortures the king's daughter and
kills her. Then, he casts a spell on the Qalandar and turns him to a monkey. Or when wise Royan
warns the king not to listen to his wicked minister; nevertheless, the king ignores the advice and
this costs him his life.
4. Reconnaissance. The villain takes an attempt at reconnaissance (either villain tries to
find the children or jewels etc.; or intended victim questions the villain). The villain (often in
disguise) makes an active attempt at seeking information, for example searching for something
valuable or trying to actively capture someone. He may speak with a member of the family who
innocently divulges information. He may also seek to meet the hero, perhaps knowing already
the hero is special in some way. In The Arabian Nights, one of the characters usually tries to
obtain some information about a specific matter such as when the villain attempts to find the
location of certain characters, children or precious objects. In the previous tale, "The Second
Qalandar", the Jinn takes the form of an old man and comes to the city to look for the Qalandar
whose identity was not first revealed to him. The Jinn, in addition, tries to draw some
information from his beloved whom he keeps asking, "You daughter of a bitch, who is your
lover?" (52).
5. Trickery. The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of the victim or
the victim's belongings (the villain is usually disguised, and tries to win confidence of the
victim). The villain now presses further, often using information gained in seeking to deceive the
hero or the victim in some way. Furthermore, the villain may persuade the victim that he is
actually a friend and thereby gaining collaboration. The villain may, as well, use magical means
of deception. The Jinn deceives the fisherman to get him out of the bottle while the earlier
intends to kill him. A goblin takes the form of an obedient maid to deceive the son of the king of
kings. She wants to serve him on dinner for her children.
6. Complicity. The victim submits to deception consequently and unwittingly helps his
enemy. The trickery of the villain now works and the hero or victim naively acts in a way that
helps the villain. This may range from providing the villain with something (perhaps a map or
magical weapon) to actively working against good people (perhaps the villain has persuaded the
hero that these other people are actually bad). In The Arabian Nights, we find various examples
such as the hero who scratches the Goblin's lantern ; thus, submitting to the Villain's (the Ifrit's)
begging. The hero sometimes acts in a mechanical manner and employs magic against his
beloved ones. In "The Three Jesters" tale, the female Jinn transforms two of her sisters to black
dogs. The wicked wife of the prince in "The Enchanted Prince" casts a spell on her husband and
transforms his lower part to a stone.
7. Villainy. The villain causes harm or injury to a member of the family or to other
characters (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops). He may plunder in other forms,
causing a disappearance, expelling someone, substituting a child etc., committing murder,
imprisoning or detaining someone, threatening forced marriage, or providing nightly torments.
In The Arabian Nights, the Ifrit kidnaps a princess to take her as a wife; on the other hand, a
Goblin kidnaps a prince whom she has fallen in love with. Sometimes the villain causes a bad
injury to other characters. A kind princess uses her magical powers to defeat the Ifrit. The latter
is defeated but the princess is burnt to death. The villain may cause other characters to disappear
suddenly. A wicked brother seduces his sister and takes her down to a large grave where he
sleeps with her and both then disappear. The villain exiles other character. For example, an uncle
exiles his nephew after killing his brother to inherit his kingdom. In addition, the villain may
torment his victim. A wicked wife torments her husband for the sake of her lover.
8. Lack of something. One of the members of the family either lacks something or desires
to have something. In other words, a sense of lack is identified. For example in the hero's family
or within a community, something is identified as lost or something becomes desirable for some
reason, such as a magical object that will save people in some way. Ala'a Deen lacks wealth and
travels to get it. A king lacks knowledge and travels to acquire it.
9. Departure. This is a special characteristic of the tales of The Arabian Nights where the
hero leaves home to have an adventure that causes development of actions and introduces
another character to the scene. During this departure, the hero is tested, interrogated, and even
attacked. This paves the way for his reception of a magical agent or a helper and here comes the
function of the Donor. The donor asks the hero to solve a riddle so he would be freed of his
prison. The hero is sometimes offered assistance by a good Ifrit who helps him to fly from one
country to another. The donor helps the hero by offering knowledge about a missing person or
about the way to defeat a wicked Jinn.
10. The Hero's reaction. The hero reacts to the actions of the donor or helper by
withstanding or failing the test, solving a riddle, freeing a captive, reconciling disputants,
performing service or using adversary's powers against him. While following his plan, the hero
sometimes performs another service and helps other characters who have been just introduced to
the action. In all the tales, the hero's reaction is a general feature.
11. Provision or receipt of a magical agent. The hero acquires use of a magical agent
(directly transferred, located purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help
offered by other characters). In The Arabian Nights, The hero is often assisted by a winged
horse or a flying creature or a carpet. In "The Three Sisters", one of the sisters is rescued from
drowning by the help of a huge flying snake. King Yonan is healed by the magical herbs
provided by the wise Royan. The Ifrit takes a handful of sand and utters some magical words
then throws them on the enchanted hero to help him restore his human form.
12. Struggle. The hero and the villain join in a direct combat. The villain is usually
stronger because he uses magical powers against his victims. If the hero is not provided with
magical powers by the donor, he wins over the villain by his human wit.
13. Victory. The villain is usually defeated either in a combat or by a trick played on him
by the hero. Sometimes the villain is killed while asleep or banished. The hero, for instance,
defeats the Ifrit by telling him that he does not believe the latter was imprisoned inside a small
lantern or a small bottle. So, the Ifrit proves it by getting inside the lantern one more time; thus,
imprisoning himself again.
14. The Return. The hero usually returns after achieving victory, bringing his lost brother
or the kidnapped princess back home. The hero sometimes returns after making wealth or
solving a riddle.
These are the most obvious functions which recur in the chosen tales of The
Arabian Nights. Though Propp discusses thirty-one functions, many of them must be ignored
because they appear in a small number of The Arabian Tales that they cannot be taken as general
yet distinguishing features. However, Propp's functions do not cover all the features of the
characters in The Arabian Nights. So, the following points should be considered in relation to the
concerned characters.
First, in The Arabian Nights, many characters are nameless especially the central
characters who are the source of the main action in the tale. For example, we are not told the
names of the porter of Baghdad, the three sisters, the enchanted prince or his wife, the Barber of
Baghdad or the Merchant of Baghdad. This may reflect the author's wish not to give some of his
characters any historical or geographical background. Or this could be for political reasons as the
author uses political allegory making his characters stand indirectly for specific political figures.
One last assumption is to endow his characters and his tales with a universal dimension.
Secondly, the majority of the characters in The Arabian Nights have a high political or
social status. We have kings, Suldans, princes, princesses and so on. Probably, it was thought by
the commoners to whom these stories were addressed that those characters were the luckiest.
Nevertheless, the heroes of some tales belong to lower classes. In this case, the author makes it
clear that class distinction is not rigid by making upper class characters fall in love with lower
class characters. For example, a common hero achieves victory and wins the heart of the
daughter of the king after saving her life. A Suldan marries the daughter of a fisherman, or a
prince marries a girl of a lower status.
Thirdly, most of the characters, except for the villain who is the main source of conflict,
are kind-hearted. The good characters are usually larger in number than the bad characters.
Fourthly, characters are usually depicted as enjoying having sex and look for it especially
women. In The Arabian Nights, we never find violent sexual scenes or an action of rape.
However, on the other hand, nothing in the tales show the outcome of sexual relations. In other
words, we never read about women getting pregnant or giving birth to babies. Children are not
introduced as substantial characters in the tales. Furthermore, unmarried characters are the ones
who are engaged in forbidden sexual relations. In this context, marriage is not introduced as a
sacred union. Generally speaking, sex seems to be part of the world of fantasy which means that
the characters' behavior is not to be judged by the usual moral standards. Nonetheless, this
provokes readers' condemnation rather than their approval. A wife who cheats on her husband
and sleeps with her black slave or a brother who has an incestuous relation with his sister
definitely deserve the reader's resentment. In addition nudity is a major action in many tales; it is
associated with the pleasure of sexual intercourse and the pains of physical torture. All characters
who are whipped are stripped of their clothes.
Finally, new characters are usually suddenly introduced into the course of action. For
example, the heroine of "The Porter of Baghdad" hits the floor three times and all of a sudden a
door is opened and seven slaves carrying swords appear out of the blue. Those slaves are not part
of the life of the hero and we, the readers, know very little about them. Goblins and Ifrits appear
suddenly from small bottles or lanterns or from nowhere. A wall splits into two and a beautiful
girl appears to add much to the mystery of the tale. The donor is encountered accidentally while
the magical helper is introduced as a gift. Yet, it is worth noting that actions are deeply
interrelated that the introduction of any new character, even if it is unexpected, can be accepted.
It is also true that new characters are sometimes introduced through the narration of the story by
other characters. That is to say, The Arabian Nights is a tale within a tale. Shahrazad, the wife of
King Shahryar, is the general narrator of the tales but each of her characters tells his or her own
tale and consequently introduces new characters. For instance, "The Black Slave and the Apple"
is narrated by Shahrazad who introduces to us the first person narrator Ja'afar al-Barmaki who, in
his turn, tells the story of Noor al-Deen and Shams al-Deen. Then, the story of their son and
daughter is narrated in another tale of "Sit al-Hussin" or "The Lady of Beauty". This aspect of
narrative technique will be discussed in details on the following pages.
On the other hand, Propp's justification of the ways through which characters are
introduced into the course of action can be partially applied to the tales of The Arabian Nights.
According to Propp, each category of characters has its own form of appearance as it employs
certain means to introduce new characters. For example, Propp finds that in the Russian folktales
the villain appears twice. First, he makes an appearance from the outside or from nowhere (as in
The Arabian Nights) then disappears. Secondly, the villain appears when he is sought by other
characters which is not very frequent in The Arabian Tales. Furthermore, characters of The
Arabian Nights may be classified according to their conformity to reality. In this respect, they
either represent actual figures in history or they are absolutely imaginary or fairy characters.
Some historical or religious figures are Calif Haroon al-Rasheed and his minister Ja'afar al-
Barmaki, Salah al-Deen, the graet Muslim conqueror, the King of Persia, the famous Muslim
poet Abu-Nawas, the minister al-Fazl and Prophet Solomon. The other imaginary characters are
too many such as Sit al-Hussin, Badr al-Budoor, Sinbad the Sailor and Shah Bandar al-Tujjar
(the chief of all merchants). Fairy characters are the Ifrits, the goblins, flying horses and flying
snakes. Characters that represent real figures in history are portrayed with much respect and
appreciation. For instance, Haroon aL-Rashid, the Muslim Calif is depicted as a respectable,
caring, just and powerful ruler. This seems to be justified as the popular mentality had this idea
about him and his reign; a fact that the author found difficult to contradict. Fairy characters add a
mythical dimension to the tales. They are there to create complications and to enrich the text
with fantasy flavor. In the simple mentality of the original readers of The Arabian Nights, the
Ifrit is a symbol of power, speed, pride and massive ability to destroy and construct. These fairy
characters introduced in the tales are of two types: active and passive. The active fairy characters
either use their supernatural powers to hurt certain characters or to help and rescue others. The
other passive ones are usually controlled in a mechanical way where they simply do nothing
except obeying orders. For instance, the Brassy man (a fairy character) drives the magical boat
(which carries the Third Qalandar), and the flying horse flies just to move the hero from one
place to another.
The existence of beings more powerful than man is a characteristic of the literature of
the fantastic. In his book The Fantastic, Todorov shows how the supernatural elements may be
divided into two groups. The first group is that of metamorphosis. The best example is to be
found in "The Second Qalandar" tale in which a man is transformed into a monkey and a monkey
into a man. During the duel scene, a series of metamorphoses takes place: the Jenn becomes a
lion then the prince cuts him into two halves with a sword. The lion's head turns into a huge
scorpion and the princess becomes a serpent "engaging in a bitter combat with the scorpion,
which not having the advantage, took the form of an eagle and gave pursuit" (34). Then a black
and white cat appears, pursued by a black wolf. The cat turns into a worm and makes its way into
a pomegranate, which swells to the size of a pumpkin. Then the pomegranate explodes; the wolf,
now transformed into a cock, begins swallowing the pomegranate seeds. One falls into the water
and turns into a fish. At the end, both characters require their human form.
The second group of the fantastic is based on the existence of supernatural beings, such
as the Jinn and the princess-sorceress, and their power over human destiny. Both can transform
themselves and others to different creatures. These beings who have power over human destiny
symbolize dreams of power as Todorov suggests. But they are also an incarnation of imaginary
causality for what might also be called chance, fortune or accident (though luck and chance are
excluded from the universe of the fantastic). So, the wicked Jinn who interrupts the amorous
frolic in "The Qalandar's Tale" is no more than the hero's bad luck. It is worth mentioning that
Todorov divides the supernatural phenomena into four types:
1. The hyperbolic marvelous where the phenomenon is supernatural only by virtue of its
dimensions, which are superior to those that are familiar to us. Sinbad the Sailor declares that he
has seen a fish one-hundred and even two-hundred long and a great serpent that could swallow
an elephant. However, this might be only a manner of speaking in which we may say that 'fear
has big eyes'.
2. The second type of the marvelous is the exotic. The supernatural elements in this
context are reported to the readers but not presented as actual figures or characters and the
setting associated with them is equally described by the hero. For example, in his second voyage,
Sinbad describes the Roc, a bird so tremendous that it conceals the sun. The bird for sure does
not exist in contemporary Zoology but characters who describe him are far from this certainty.
3. The third type is the instrumental marvelous in which the technological developments
are not realized in the period described, but they are possible. In the "Prince Ahmad" tale, the
marvelous elements are the flying carpet, an apple that has healing powers, a pipe used to view
things from a long distance. Nowadays we have a helicopter, antibiotics and binoculars.
4. The forth type is the scientific marvelous which is known today as science fiction.
Here the supernatural is explained in a rational manner but according to laws that science
nowadays refuses. Different stories in The Arabian Nights feature early science fiction elements
(Irwin, 2005). Several examples I am going to refer to here are quoted from the whole book of
The Arabian Nights and not from Book III specifically. One example is "The Adventure of
Bulukiya", where the protagonist Bulukiya's quest for the herb of immortality leads him to
explore the seas, journey to Paradise and to Hell, and travels across the cosmos to different
worlds much larger than his own world, anticipating elements of galactic science fiction (209).
Along the way, he encounters societies of Jinni, mermaids, talking serpants, talking trees, and
other forms of life. In "Abu al-Husn and His Slave girl Tawaddud", the heroine Tawaddud gives
an important lecture on the mansions of the Moon, and the benevolent and sinister aspects of the
planets. In another tale, "Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman", the protagonist
Abdullah the Fisherman gains the ability to breathe underwater and discovers an underwater
society that is portrayed as an inverted reflection of society. That underwater society follows a
form of primitive communism where concepts like money and clothing do not exist. Other tales
depict Amazon societies dominated by women, lost ancient technologies, advanced ancient
civilizations that went astray, and catastrophes which overwhelmed them. "The City of Brass"
features a group of archeological expedition (Hamori, 1971) across the Sahara to find an ancient
lost city and attempt to recover a brass vessel that Solomon once used to trap a jinn and, along
the way encounters a mummified queen, petrified inhabitants, lifelike humanoid robots and
automata, seductive marionettes dancing without strings, and a brass horseman robot who directs
the party towards the ancient city, which has now become a ghost town (Hmori, 1971; Pinault,
1992). "The ebony Horse' features a flying mechanical horse controlled using keys that could fly
into outer space and toward the sun. Some modern interpretations see this horse as a robot
(Pinault, 1992). The titular ebony horse can fly the distance of one year in a single day, and is
used as a vehicle by the Prince of Persia, Qamar al-Aqmar, in his adventures across Persia,
Arabia and Byzantium. The "Third Qalandar's Tale" also features a robot in the form of an
uncanny boatman.
However, it is worth mentioning that the several elements of the Arabian
mythology and Persian mythology are now common in modern fantasy, such as
genies, bahamuts, magic carpets, magic lamps, etc. when L. Frank Baum proposed
writing a fairy tale that banished stereotypical elements, he included the jinn as well
as the dwarf and the fairy as stereotypes to go (Thurber, 1984).
The narrative techniques of The Arabian Nights is the second part of our discussion that
deserves a closer look. What is common throughout all the stories is the initial frame story of
King Shahrayar and his wife Shahrazad and the framing device incorporated through the tales
themselves. The stories proceed from this original tale; some are framed within this tale, while
others begin and end of their own accord. All the tales are narrated by Shahrazad who usually
begins with her famous sentence, "I was told, O auspicious King, that" or "I was told- but
Allah sees further!- that" (1) then she goes on describing the hero of her story in what Propp
calls "the initial situation". Then, she leaves the floor to the characters to tell their stories through
a monologue and a dialogue at the same time. The following example from Shahrazad's four-
hundred and eighty ninth night's tale ("The Tale of Abu Khir and Abu Sir") reflects the narrative
technique used by her:
 "I was told O auspicious King, thatThe Captain asked after his friend, and
Abu Sir replied that the dyer was sea-sickThen the Captain said,"That will soon
Pass" (5).
Shahrazad uses three different narrative techniques here. First, the first person narration
as she uses the pronoun "I". Secondly, the second person narration as she implies using the
pronoun "you" in her phrase "O auspicious King" and the reference here is to King Shahrayar
who represents the audience. Finally, the third person narration as all characters (Abu Khir and
Abu Sir are only one example among many) are referred to in the third person by Shahrazad.
However, Shahrazad, the main narrator of the tales never uses typical opening phrases found in
Arabic literature to which the tales where translated, such as "Once upon a time", "They claim
that". She always says, "I was told that". It was Shahrazad's purpose to keep the King
interested in her tales so that he would not kill her as he did with his previous wives.
Consequently, the use of this opening phrase provides her with authority and power that have
stimulated the King's curiosity and kept him awake till the morning then he would fall asleep all
day long. It is worth mentioning that the classical Arabic phrase used by Shahrazad is best
translated into "I was told that" and not "It is related" as some translators did.
On the other hand the use of the monologue is very frequent in the tales. The best
examples to be quoted here are the porter to himself, "This is a very good morning" (36), Harron
al-Rashid to himself, "I shall punish her tomorrow" (51), the king to himself, "My Lord, they are
too young!" (56), the Qalandar to himself, "What happened to my father? (56). The use of the
monologue attracts the listener who is expected to respond to some questions that require an
answer or to be interested in some statements that foretell future events.
We have seen earlier how one tale leads to many other tales. There is usually a major
tale out of which all the other tales spring. Shahrazad's narration always concludes with the end
of the major tale and not the minor tale. For example, the "Tale of Abu-Khir and Abu Sir" is the
major one that leads to many other tales: "The Three Wishes Tale", "The Boy and the Rubber's
Tale", and "There is White and White Tale". In addition, the tale of "The Diwan of Jovial and
Indecent Folk" includes other minor tales as "The Historic Fort's Tale", "The Two Jesters' Tale"
and "A Woman's Trick's Tale". The story of "The Three Apples" enframes the story of "Nur al-
din and Shams al-Din". In other words, a character in Shahrazad's tale will begin telling other
characters a story of his own, and that story may have another one told within it, resulting in a
richly layered narrative texture. Ulrich Marzolph suggests that the tales of The Arabian Nights
definitely introduce an early example of the "story within a story" technique. However, in The
Arabian Nights, a story is most commonly introduced through subtle means, particularly as an
answer to questions raised in a previous tale (Marzolph, 2004).
As for setting, the representation of place is interesting. The tales usually take place in a
large and tremendous setting. Ifrits fly freely from one place to another. They sink down into the
bottom of the sea or to the underground where they construct their kingdoms. However, a closer
look at the geography of the places described in most of the tales shows that the majority of the
tales are situated within the borders of Baghdad or al-Basra. But the world of these tales
surpasses these two cities to Alexandria, Cairo, Damascus, Oman, Yamane, Greece, Lands of
Ajam (non-Arabs), India and Sind. Usually Baghdad is the only city that is described in details
and shown as a prosperous commercial city where different goods from many countries are sold
there. We read about fruits from different parts of the world: apples from Bilad al-Sham (the
Greater Syria Region), peaches from Oman, lemon from Egypt, and so on. So we notice that the
author of the tales always refers to countries of al-Mashrik al-Arabi (the Arabian Orient); not of
Al-Maghrib al-Arabi (the western part of the Arab world). Even the described voyages never
move to the west but always to the east starting from Dijla River (known in the tales as the Sea
of Dijla).
Sometimes we encounter other places that we have never heard of such as the Islands of
al-Salama (Islands of Safety) or some mythical spots such as Qaf Mountain, or a city that a
character reaches without giving us its name. We hear heroes speaking about mysterious places:
"I traveled till I reached my uncle's city" (85), "I walked from the cavern till I reached a city
inhabited by good people" (61). Furthermore, we rarely read a tale that does not include a voyage
as part of its events. The sea is a very important element here specially that many of the cities
were established near the waters of a sea, a river or a lake. We usually read about a hero getting
ready for a voyage as part of his adventure to solve a mystery or to bring a princess back home,
or to get money. This is followed by a description of the ships, the sailors, the captain and the
adventure itself. On the other hand, we encounter a struggle between a hero and a Jinn or an Ifrit
on the ship. Sometimes we read about a hero being rescued from drowning by a Jinn or an Ifrit.
The mythical places, if I may call them so, are what distinguish the tales of Sharazad. These
imaginary places such as the Mountain of Magnet, or the Metamorphosed City, or Qaf Mountain
in "The Porter of Baghdad" reflect the vivid imagination of the author. The Mountain of Magnet
does not exist in reality; however, its description adds a lot to its mystery. It has a great dome
inside which the enchanted prince was imprisoned. It is a damned place that Ifrits use to destroy
ships that are pulled towards it because of its magnetic power. We also read about the
Metamorphosed City that was damned because its citizens indulged in pleasures. They were
punished by a thunderbolt that transformed everything to black stones. Qaf Mountain is another
mythical place that was known as a symbol of great distances in popular Arabic folktales in
general. Only skillful magicians or powerful Ifrits can reach it because it can hardly be found by
humans. It is worth mentioning the Qaf Mountain is mentioned in the Holy Quran (Qaf Surat 50:
1) which the Islamic interpreters of the Qur'an and Islamic philosophers describe as the unseen
huge mountain, made of emerald and surrounds the earth. They say that it is inhabited by Jinni
and since the belief in the unseen that is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an is part of a Muslim's
belief, all Muslims believe in its existence. In addition, the princess in the fourteenth night's tale
describes her magical ability to move the city of her father behind the Qaf Mountain: "I can
move the stones of your city behind the Mountain of Qaf" (69). In "The Three Sisters Tale", one
of the sisters talk about the female Jinn who appears only if a lock of the latter's hair is burnt:
"She gave me a lock of hair and said if you want me to come, burn this lock and I shall come
even if I were behind the Qaf Mountain" (197). This suggests that the mountain is far away in an
unknown world.
To conclude, this structural study of character types and functions, the elements of the
fantasy, setting and narrative technique in The Arabian Nights allows the reader to understand
the common forms and the properties that distinguish the book as a whole and constitute a
meaningful system that is a clear feature of the stories. As much as this study aims at
reconstituting the unit of the work and its principle of coherence it also means to open new
horizons for further discussion. A deeper reading of more stories would definitely generate more
fruitful criticism.
About the Author:
Dr Sura Mohammed Khrais, associate professor of English literature at Al-Balqa
Applied University, Princess Alia University College. My basic interests are the modem
novel and world literature specially in relation to post colonial criticism. I have several
papers published on these topics.

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Strukturni pristup arapskim noi
Jedna tisua i jedna no je zbirka pria o bliskoistonoj i indijanskoj prii, a
narodne prie ispunjene su na arapskom tijekom islamskog zlatnog doba.
Takoer se naziva The Arabian Nights i to je nesigurno datum i
autorstvo. Njegove prie o Aladinu, Ali Baba i Sindbadu, mornaru,
gotovo su postale dio zapadnog folklora. U ovom radu tvrdim da
strukturni pristup koji nam omoguuje istodobno itanje i usporedivanje
viestrukih tekstova, a koji se primjenjuje na deset pria iz The Arabian
Nights, knjiga III, uvodi novo itanje tri glavna aspekta: tipove
karaktera, pripovijedanje tehnika i postavljanje (elementi mjesta).
Meutim, ponekad se istraiva odnosi na jo drugih pria koje
obogauju raspravu. Istraiva e upotrijebiti strukturni pristup koji
Vladimir Propp primjenjuje na ruske narodne knjievnosti zajedno s
idejama Tzvetana Todorova o knjievnosti fantastinog. Prvo, likovi
Arapskih Noi bit e klasificirani prema njihovom doprinosu akciji. U tu
svrhu usvojit e se Proppova teorija o funkciji dramatistike osobnosti. S
druge strane, isti e likovi biti razvrstani prema njihovoj usklaenosti sa
stvarnosti u povijesne, imaginativne i vila. Dok se raspravlja o ulozi
bajkovitih likova u Arapskim noi, Vladimirova teorija fantastinog e se
koristiti za prouavanje znaenja nadnaravnih elemenata u ciljanim
tekstovima. Zatim e se analizirati pripovjedne tehnike u The Arabian
Nights. Konano, rad e raspravljati o obiljejima mjesta u priama i
pokazati svoje prepoznatljive, ali zajednike elemente.
Strukturalna kritika povezuje knjievne tekstove s veom strukturom koja moe
biti odreeni anr, niz intertekstualnih veza, model ope narativne
strukture ili sustav povratnih obrazaca ili motiva (Barry, 40). Stoga se
 strukturno itanje usredotouje na vie tekstova, traei kako se ti
tekstovi ujedinjuju u koherentan sustav. Taj pristup omoguuje
itateljima da prouavaju tekst kao manifestaciju apstraktne strukture.
Cilj strukturalizma nije "opis pojedinog djela, oznaavanje njezinog
znaenja ve uspostavljanje opih zakona od kojih je ovaj tekst
proizvod" (Todorov, 133). Strukturalna analiza otkriva "vezu koja postoji
izmeu sustava oblika i sustava znaenja" (Genette, 136). Stoga
prouavanje tipova karaktera, pripovjedake tehnike i postavljanje u The
Arabian Nights omoguuje itatelju razumijevanje zajednikih oblika
koji se razvijaju u smislen sustav koji razlikuje ove prie. Primjenom
strukturnih pristupa odabranim priama Arapske noi ovaj rad istrauje
svojstva koja razlikuju knjigu kao cjelinu. Ova studija ima za cilj
rekonstruirati jedinicu

djelo i njezino naelo koherentnosti koju gotovo nikako nije kritikant, do svega
to sam znao, uinio prije. Najvie djela na Arapski noi obraaju se
povijesnom prihvaanju knjige u istraivanjima od devetnaestog stoljea
nadalje (Ali, 1980., Caracciolo, 1968. (Alijtbari, 2014.), povijest naslova
(Goitein, 1958.), njegovo kruenje meu knjiarama u Kairu u 12.
stoljeu (Abbott, 1949.), njegov povijesni kontekst (Makdisi i
Nussbaum, 2008) Goitein, 1958, Grotzfeld, 1985, 1996-7, Mahdi,
1995.), izvori koje su koristili francuski prevoditelji koji su uveli tekst
Zapadu, kao i utjecaj velike literature o priama (Marzolph, 2006,
Grunebaum, 1942) , anr romantike u priama (Heath, 1987-1988),
interpretacije pojedinanih pria iz zbirke (Allen, 1984, Bencheikh,
1997, Cooperson, 1994, Hamori, 1971, Mahdi, 1984, Molan, 1987)
priroda seksualne politike koja okruuje karakter Sheherazade i
reperkusiju A rabinske noi u modernoj arapskoj knjievnosti (Malti-
Douglas, 1997). Posebno prouavanje tehnika pripovijedanja uvodi
David Pinault (1992). Mnoge komparativne studije raspravljaju o
utjecaju arapskih noi na englesku knjievnost (Al-Olaqi, 2012), iransku
kulturu (Marzolph, 2005, 2006), knjievnost o generalu (Ghazoul, 1996)
i drevna srednjovjekovna europska knjievnost (Tuczay, 2005) , Ovaj rad
predstavlja novu toku gledita koja se razlikuje od onih koji su se
raspravljali u prethodnim radovima. Arabian Nights ukljuuje veliki broj
likova. Prie obino poinju uvodei nas u odreenu situaciju u kojoj
nam je junak predstavljen zajedno s ostalim lanovima njegove obitelji.
Obino se odnosi na njegov status i njegovu profesiju. Meutim, svaki
lik u prii ima odreenu funkciju. Propp definira funkciju kao in
karaktera, definiran sa stajalita svog znaaja za tijek djelovanja (Propp,
21). Svaki lik ima sferu akcije koja generira trideset jednu funkciju koju
je Propp uoio u ruskim narodnim priama. Ovaj e rad raspravljati o
trinaest razliitih funkcija koje je istraiva pronaao u ciljanom tekstu i
pokazat e da je taj ogranieni broj funkcija temeljna komponenta
pripovijesti. Nakon to je prikazana poetna situacija, pria ima sljedeu
sekvencu od trinaest funkcija koje su sve to je definirano u Propp;
Absentation. lan obitelji naputa sigurnost domaeg okolia. To moe
biti heroj ili neki drugi lan obitelji koji e joj heroj kasnije morati
spasiti. Ova podjela kohezivne obitelji injektira poetnu napetost u priu.
Ovdje se takoer moe predstaviti junak, koji se esto prikazuje kao
obina osoba. U Arapski noi, kao u ruskim narodnim priama, ovaj in
odsutnosti je dobrovoljno; meutim, ponekad nedostatak lika nije voljan
jer je uzrokovan smru dotinog lika. Lik koji obavlja ovu akciju ili
pripada starijoj generaciji ili mlaoj. Na primjer, u "Ribar i Ifrit", kralj
ostavlja svoje kraljevstvo da otkrije tajnu jezera i arene ribe. Meutim,
u "Sin kralja kraljeva", mladi princ odlazi u lov; putovanje u kojemu se
izgubi, oteti ga goblin. U "Kralju Yonan i Wise Royan", kralj je otrovan i
konano je nehotice odsutan s scene. Zabrana. Zabrana je upuena heroju
('ne idi tamo', 'nemojte to raditi'). U arapskim noima likovi su sprijeeni
da rade neto izravno ili neizravno. U prii "Porter u Bagdadu", vratar
dobiva sljedee upute: "Donesite svoj kavez i slijedite me" (36);
"Nemojte pitati za neto to vas ne tie ili ete uti to e vas ljutiti" (38).
Ja'afar, ministar, predlae kalifonu Haroon al-Rasheedu da kae: "Nemoj
ui, Calif. Ti ljudi su pijani" (40), a kasnije Calif kae: "Pronaite trik
kako bismo mogli ui" (40) .3. Krenje. in kojim se prekrila funkcija
zabrane. Slijedi uvoenje novog lika, obino zloinca. U knjizi "Druga
Qalandar", kraljica keri upozorava Qalandara da ne razbije talisman ili
e izazvati Jinnove. Ali Qalandar ne priznaje red, a Jinn se pojavljuje
koji potonji mue kraljevu ker i ubija. Zatim baca aroliju na Qalandar i
pretvori ga u majmun. Ili kad mudar Royan upozori kralja da ne slua
 svog zlog slugu; ipak, kralj zanemaruje savjete i to ga kota njegov
ivot.4. Izvianje. Zlonamjernik pokuava izvidjeti (ili zlikovac
pokuava pronai djecu ili dragulje, itd., Ili namjerava rtva dovodi u
pitanje zlikovca). Zloinac (esto u preruenju) aktivno pokuava traiti
informacije, na primjer traei neto vrijedno ili pokuavajui aktivno
uhvatiti nekoga. Moe razgovarati
Google Prevoditelj za tvrtke:Prevoditeljski alatiPrevoditelj web-lokacija

lan obitelji koji neduno otkriva informacije. On takoer moe traiti susret s
herojem, moda ve znajui da je junak na neki nain poseban. U
arapskim noima jedan od likova obino pokuava dobiti neke
informacije o odreenoj stvari kao to je sluaj kada zlikovac pokuava
pronai mjesto odreenih likova, djece ili dragocjenih predmeta. U
prijanjoj prii, "Drugi Qalandar", Jinn ima oblik starca i dolazi u grad
da trai Qalandara iji identitet nije prvo objavljen. Jinn, osim toga,
pokuava izvui neke podatke od svog voljenog kojeg trai: "Ki keri,
koja je va ljubavnik?" (52) .5. Trikovima. rtva pokuava zavarati rtvu
da preuzme posjed rtve ili imovine rtve (negativac je obino preruen i
pokuava osvojiti povjerenje rtve). Zlonamjer sada preuuje, esto
koriste informacije dobivene u pokuaju zavaravanja junaka ili rtve na
neki nain. tovie, zloinac moe uvjeriti rtvu da je zapravo prijatelj i
time stjee suradnju. Zloinac moe, takoer, koristiti arobni nain
obmane. Jinn obmanjuje ribara da ga izbavi iz boce dok ga ranije
namjerava ubiti. Goblin ima oblik poslune slukinje da zavede sin kralja
kraljeva. eli mu sluiti na veeri za svoju djecu. Sauesnitvo. rtva se
na taj nain podvrgne obmanama i nesvjesno pomae svom neprijatelju.
Sada je zavaravanje zlikovca, a junak ili rtva naivno djeluju na nain
koji pomae zlikovcu. To moe biti od pruanja negativca (moda karte
ili arobnog oruja) da aktivno rade protiv dobrih ljudi (moda je
zlikovac nagovorio heroja da su ti drugi ljudi zapravo loi). U arapskim
noi nalazimo razliite primjere poput heroja koji ogrebotine Goblinovu
svjetiljku; tako, podnosei se Villainovoj (Ifritovoj) prosjaenju. Heroj
ponekad djeluje mehaniki i koristi magiju protiv svojih voljenih. U prii
"The Three Jesters", enka Jinn pretvara dvije sestre u crne pse. Kriva
ena princa u "arobnom princu" baca aroliju na svog supruga i
transformira svoj donji dio u kamen. Podlost. Zlodnik uzrokuje tetu ili
ozljedu lana obitelji ili drugim likovima (otmicama, kradom arobnog
agenta, unitavanjem usjeva). Moe pljakati u drugim oblicima,
uzrokujui nestajanje, protjerivanje nekoga, zamjenu djeteta itd.,
Poinjenje ubojstva, zatvaranje ili pritvaranje nekoga, prijetnju prisilnom
braku ili pruanje nonih muenja. U arapskim noi, Ifrit otima princezu
da je uzme kao enu; s druge strane, Goblin otima princa s kojom se
zaljubila. Ponekad zlikovac uzrokuje ozbiljnu ozljedu drugim likovima.
Ljubazna princeza koristi svoje arobne moi kako bi porazila Ifrit.
Potonji je poraen, ali princeza je spaljena do smrti. Zloinac moe
uzrokovati nagli gubitak znakova. Opaki brat zavodi svoju sestru i
odvede je do velikog groba gdje spava s njom, a oboje nestaju. ivac
izgoni drugi lik. Na primjer, strica progoni njegov neak nakon to je
ubio svog brata kako bi naslijedio svoje kraljevstvo. Osim toga, zlikovac
moe muiti svoju rtvu. Grijeena ena mui mua zbog ljubavi.8.
Nedostatak neega. Jedan od lanova obitelji nedostaje ili eli neto.
Drugim rijeima, identificiran je osjeaj nedostatka. Na primjer, u
obitelji junaka ili u zajednici, neto se identificira kao izgubljeno ili se
neto iz nekog razloga ini poeljnim, poput arobnog predmeta koji e
 na neki nain spasiti ljude. Ala'a Deen nema bogatstvo i putuje da ga
dobije. Kralj nema znanja i putuje da je stekne. Odlazak. Ovo je posebna
osobina pria Arapskih noi, gdje je junak napustio kuu da ima avanturu
koja uzrokuje razvoj akcija i uvodi jo jedan lik na scenu. Tijekom ovog
odlaska, heroj je testiran, ispitivan, pa ak i napadnut. To otvara put za
prijem arobnog agenta ili pomagaa i ovdje dolazi u funkciji donatora.
Donator pita heroja da rijei zagonetku kako bi oslobodio svog zatvora.
Heroj ponekad nudi pomo dobrom Ifritu koji mu pomae letjeti iz jedne
zemlje u drugu. Davatelj pomae junaku nudei znanje o nestaloj osobi
ili o nainima poraza zlih Jinn.10. Herojska reakcija. Joj reagira na
djelovanje donatora ili pomagaa uzimajui u obzir ili propustio test,
rjeavajui zagonetku, oslobaajui zatoenitvo, pomirujui rasprave,
obavljajui slubu ili koristivi suprotstavljene ovlasti protiv njega.
Pratei svoj plan, junak ponekad izvodi drugu uslugu i pomae drugim
likovima koji su upravo upoznati s akcijom. U svim priama reakcija
junaka je opa osobina.

11. Pruanje ili primanje arobnog sredstva. Junak stjee koritenje arobnog
agenta (izravno prenesen, smjeten kupljen, pripremljen, spontano se
pojavi, jede / pijan, pomo koju nude drugi likovi). U arapskim noi,
junak esto pomae krilati konj ili letee stvorenje ili tepih. U "Tri
sestre", jedna od sestara spaava se od utapanja uz pomo velike letee
zmije. Kralj Yonan ozdravio je arobna ljekovitost koju je dao mudri
Royan. Ifrit uzima aku pijeska i izgovara neke arobne rijei, a zatim
baca ih na aroban junak da mu pomogne da obnovi njegovu ljudsku
formu.12. Borba. Junak i zloin se pridrue izravnoj borbi. Zloinac je
obino jai jer koristi arobne moi protiv svojih rtava. Ako junak ne
dobije arobne moi od strane donatora, on pobjeuje nad zlikovcima
svojim ljudskim pametom.13. Pobjeda. Zloin je obino poraen bilo u
borbi ili trik koji mu je igrao heroj. Ponekad je negativac ubijen dok je
spavao ili protjeran. Heroj, primjerice, porazi Ifrit govorei mu kako ne
vjeruje da je potonji zarobljen u maloj svjetiljci ili maloj bocu. Dakle,
Ifrit to dokazuje ulaskom u svjetiljku jo jednom; dakle, ponovno se
zarobljava.14. Povratak. Joj se obino vraa nakon postizanja pobjede,
dovodei svoj izgubljeni brat ili otetku princezu kui. Heroj se ponekad
vraa nakon to se stvori bogatstvo ili rjeava zagonetku. To su najoitiji
funkcije koje se ponavljaju u odabranim priama Arapskih Noi. Iako
Propp raspravlja o tridesetim funkcijama, mnoge od njih moraju se
zanemariti jer se pojavljuju u malom broju The Arabian Tales da se ne
mogu uzeti kao ope ali razlikovne znaajke. Meutim, Proppove
funkcije ne pokrivaju sve znaajke znakova u arapskim noima. Dakle,
sljedee se stavke trebaju razmotriti u odnosu na navedene znakove.
Prvo, u arapskim noi, mnogi su likovi bez imenovanja, osobito glavni
likovi koji su izvor glavne akcije u prii. Na primjer, nismo reeni imena
Bagdadovog portera, tri sestre, oarani princ ili njegova supruga,
Bagdadov brija ili Bagdadov trgovac. To moe odraavati elju autora
da nekim svojim likovima ne daju povijesne ili zemljopisne pozadine. Ili
to bi moglo biti iz politikih razloga, budui da autor koristi politiku
alegoriju inei njegove likove posredno za odreene politike osobe.
Jedna posljednja pretpostavka je da svojim likovima i svojim
pripovijetkama obezbijedi univerzalnu dimenziju. Drugo, veina likova u
arapskim noima ima visoki politiki ili drutveni status. Imamo
kraljeve, Suldane, princeze, princeze i tako dalje. Vjerojatno su ga ljudi
obradovali kome su se priale te prie da su ti likovi najsretniji. Ipak,
 heroji nekih pria pripadaju niim razredima. U ovom sluaju autor jasno
navodi da razlika u klasama nije krutica tako to se gornji klasni likovi
zaljubljuju u nie klasne znakove. Na primjer, obini junak postie
pobjedu i osvaja srce keri kralja nakon to je spasio ivot. Suldan se
oeni keri ribara, ili se princ oeni djevojkom nieg statusa. Tree,
veina likova, osim zlogodavca koji je glavni izvor sukoba, ljubazni su.
Dobri likovi obino su vei od loih znakova. etvrto, likovi se obino
prikazuju kao uivanje u seksu i traenje posebno za ene. U arapskim
noima nikada ne nalazimo nasilne seksualne scene ili akciju silovanja.
Meutim, s druge strane, nita u priama ne pokazuje ishod seksualnih
odnosa. Drugim rijeima, nikada nismo itali o enama koje su
zatrudnile ili raaju bebe. Djeca nisu uvedena kao znaajni likovi u
priama. Nadalje, neoenjeni likovi su oni koji se bave zabranjenim
seksualnim odnosima. U tom kontekstu, brak se ne uvodi kao sveta
zajednica. Openito, seks ini se da je dio svijeta mate, to znai da se
ponaanje likova ne mora suditi po uobiajenim moralnim standardima.
Ipak, ovo izaziva itateljsku osudu, a ne njihovo odobrenje. Supruga koja
vara svog mua i spava s crnim robom ili bratom koji ima incestuozan
odnos s njegovom sestrom definitivno zasluuje itateljev zamjer. Osim
toga golotinja je glavna akcija u mnogim priama; povezan je s uitkom
seksualnog odnosa i bolovima fizikog muenja. Svi likovi koji se alju
su uklonjeni odjee. Na kraju, novi likovi obino su iznenada uvedeni u
tijek akcije. Na primjer, junakinja "The portera u Bagdadu" tri puta
pogoduje poda i odjednom se otvaraju vrata, a sedam robova koji nose
maeve izlaze iz plave boje. Ti robovi nisu dio ivota junaka i mi
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, itatelji, vrlo malo znaju o njima. Goblini i Ifriti pojavljuju se iznenada iz
malih boica ili svjetiljki ili od niega. Zid se dijeli na dvije i ini se da
lijepa djevojka mnogo doprinosi otajstvu prie. Donator se sluajno
susree dok je arobni pomaga uveden kao dar. Ipak, valja istaknuti da
su akcije duboko povezane s tim da se uvoenje bilo kojeg novog lika,
ak i ako je neoekivano, moe biti prihvaeno. Takoer je istina da se
novi likovi ponekad uvode kroz pripovijedanje prie drugim likovima.
Naime, Arapske Noi su pria u prii. Shahrazad, supruga kralja
Shahryara, glavni je pripovjeda pria, ali svaka od njezinih likova
govori svoju priu i time uvodi nove likove. Na primjer, "Crna slava i
jabuka" pripovijeda Shahrazad, koji nam uvodi prvo osobu pripovjedaa
Ja'afar al-Barmaki koji, zauzvrat, pria priu o Noor al-Deenu i Shams
al-Deenu. Zatim, pria o njihovu sinu i keri pripovijeda se u jo jednoj
prii o "Sit al-Hussin" ili "The Lady of Beauty". Ovaj aspekt narativne
tehnike bit e detaljno opisan na sljedeim stranicama. S druge strane,
Proppovo opravdanje naina na koji se likovi uvode u tijek akcije mogu
se djelomino primijeniti na prie Arapskih Noi. Prema Proppovoj,
svaka kategorija likova ima svoj oblik pojavljivanja jer zapoljava
odreena sredstva za uvoenje novih likova. Na primjer, Propp pronalazi
da se u ruskim narodnim stvarima zloin pojavljuje dvaput. Prvo,
pojavljuje se izvana ili niotkuda (kao u arapskim noi), a zatim nestaje.
Drugo, zloin se pojavljuje kada ga trae drugi likovi koji nisu vrlo esti
u Arapskim priama. Nadalje, likovi Arapske noi mogu se svrstati u
skladu s njihovom suglasju s realnou. U tom smislu oni predstavljaju
stvarne figure u povijesti ili su apsolutno imaginarni ili vila. Neke
povijesne ili religiozne figure su Calif Haroon al-Rasheed i njegov
ministar Ja'afar al-Barmaki, Salah al-Deen, muslimanski osvaja, kralj
Perzije, slavni muslimanski pjesnik Abu-Nawas, ministar al-Fazl i
Prorok Solomon. Drugi imaginarni likovi previe su poput Sit al-Hussin,
Badr al-Budoor, Sinbad the Sailor i Shah Bandar al-Tujjar (ef svih
trgovaca). Vjerski likovi su Ifrii, goblini, letei konji i letee zmije.
Likovi koji predstavljaju stvarne figure u povijesti prikazani su s puno
potovanja i potovanja. Na primjer, Haroon aL-Rashid, muslimanska
kalif je prikazan kao respektabilan, brian, pravedan i moan vladar. ini
se da je to opravdano jer je popularni mentalitet imao tu ideju o njemu i
njegovoj vladavini; injenica koju je autor teko mogao proturjeiti.
Fairy likovi dodaju mitsku dimenziju priama. Oni su tamo stvoriti
komplikacije i obogatiti tekst fantasy okusom. U jednostavnom
mentalitetu izvornih itatelja Arapskih Noi, Ifrit je simbol moi, brzine,
ponosa i velike sposobnosti da uniti i konstruira. Ovi bajkovinski likovi
uvedeni u priama su dvije vrste: aktivni i pasivni. Aktivni vilinski likovi
ili koriste svoje natprirodne moi da povreuju odreene likove ili da
pomau i spase druge. Druge pasivne obino se kontroliraju na
mehaniki nain gdje jednostavno ne ine nita osim pokoravanja
naloga. Na primjer, ovjek Brassy (bajkovit lik) vozi arobni amac (koji
nosi Trei Qalandar), a leti konj leti samo da premjeste junaka s jednog
mjesta na drugo. Postojanje bia monijom od ovjeka je karakteristina
knjievnosti fantastinog. U svojoj knjizi The Fantastic, Todorov
pokazuje kako nadnaravni elementi mogu biti podijeljeni u dvije
skupine. Prva skupina je metamorfoza. Najbolji primjer je pronai u prii
"Druga Qalandar" u kojoj se ovjek pretvara u majmuna i majmuna u
ovjeka. Tijekom dvobojne sceni odvija se niz metamorfoza: Jenn
postaje lav, a onda ga princ prebaci u dvije polovice maem. Lav glavu
pretvara u ogroman korpion i princeza postaje zmija "koja se bavila
 gorom borbom s korpionom, koji nema prednost, u obliku orla i
potjera" (34). Zatim se pojavi crna i bijela maka, koju slijedi crni vuk.
Maka se pretvara u crv i kree se u ipak, koji se nadmee po veliini
bundeve. Onda ipak eksplodira; vuk, sada pretvoren u penis, poinje
progutati ipak sjemena. Jedan pada u vodu i pretvara se u ribu. Na kraju,
oba lika zahtijevaju svoj ljudski oblik. Druga skupina fantastinog
temelji se na postojanju nadnaravnih bia, kao to su Jinn i princeza-
arobnica, i njihova mo nad ljudskom sudbinom. Oba ih mogu
transformirati
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i drugima razliitim stvorenjima. Ova bia koja imaju mo nad ljudskom

sudbinom simboliziraju snove o moi kao to Todorov predlae. Ali oni
su takoer utjelovljenje imaginarne uzronosti za ono to se takoer
moe nazvati sluajnou, bogatstvom ili nesretnim sluajem (iako su
srea i sluaj iskljueni iz svemira fantastinog). Dakle, zli Jinn koji
prekida ljubavni uitak u "The Qalandar's Tale" nije nita vie od sree
heroja. Valja istaknuti da Todorov dijeli natprirodne pojave u etiri vrste:
1. Hiperbolino udesno gdje je fenomen nadnaravni samo zbog svojih
dimenzija, koji su superiorniji od onih koji su nam poznati. Sinbad
mornar izjavljuje da je vidio ribu sto-ak dvjesto dugu i veliku zmiju
koja bi mogla progutati slona. Meutim, to moe biti samo nain govora
u kojem moemo rei da "strah ima velike oi". Druga vrsta udesnog je
egzotina. Nadnaravni elementi u ovom kontekstu su prijavljeni
itateljima, ali nisu prikazani kao stvarni likovi ili likovi, a postavka
povezana s njima podjednako opisuje junak. Na primjer, na svom
drugom putovanju, Sinbad opisuje Roc, tako veliku pticu da skriva
sunce. Ptica sigurno ne postoji u suvremenoj zoologiji, ali likovi koji ga
opisuju daleko su od te sigurnosti. Trei tip je instrumentalno udesno u
kojem tehnoloki razvoj nije ostvaren u opisanom razdoblju, ali je
mogue. U pripovijesti "Prince Ahmad" udesni elementi su letei tepih,
jabuka s iscjeliteljskim silama, cijev koja se koristi za gledanje stvari s
velike udaljenosti. Danas imamo helikopter, antibiotike i dalekozore.4.
etvrta vrsta znanstveno je udesno poznata kao znanstvena fantastika.
Ovdje se nadnaravno objanjava na racionalan nain, ali prema zakonima
koje znanost danas odbije. Razliite prie u arapskim noima sadre
poetne elemente znanstvene fantastike (Irwin, 2005). Nekoliko primjera
na koje se ovdje pozivam citiraju se iz cijele knjige Arapske noi, a ne iz
knjige III posebno. Jedan od primjera je "Avantura bulukiya", gdje se
glavna protagonistica Bulukiya potrazi za biljem besmrtnosti vodi da
istrauje more, putuje u raj i pakao i putuje preko kozmosa razliitim
svjetovima mnogo veim od vlastitog svijeta, oekujui elementi
galaktike znanstvene fantastike (209). Usput, susree drutva Jinnija,
sirene, govorenja, drvea i drugih oblika ivota. U "Abu al-Husn i
njegovoj Slave djevojci Tawaddud", junakinja Tawaddud daje vana
predavanja o palaama Mjeseca i dobronamjernim i zlokobnim
aspektima planeta. U jo jednoj prii, Abdullah Fisherman i Abdullah the
Merman, glavni protagonist Abdullah Fisherman dobiva sposobnost
disanja pod vodom i otkriva podvodni drutvo koje se prikazuje kao
preokrenuti odraz drutva. Taj podvodni drutvo slijedi oblik primitivnog
komunizma u kojem pojmovi poput novca i odjee ne postoje. Druge
prie prikazuju amerika drutva u kojima dominiraju ene, izgubljene
antike tehnologije, napredne drevne civilizacije koje su zalutale i
katastrofe koje ih osvajaju. "Grad brass" sadri skupinu arheoloke
 ekspedicije (Hamori, 1971) preko Sahare kako bi pronaao drevni
izgubljeni grad i pokuao oporaviti limenu posudu koju je Salomon
nekada pribjegao dinnima i, usput, susree mumificiranu kraljicu ,
ivopisni humanoidni roboti i automati, zavodljivi marioneti plesajui
bez ica i robni robotski konjanik koji usmjerava stranku prema drevnom
gradu koji je postao duhovnim gradom (Hmori, 1971; Pinault, 1992).
"Ebanjski konj" ima letei mehaniki konj koji se kontrolira pomou
tipki koje mogu letjeti u svemir i prema suncu.Neki moderni tumaenja
vide ovaj konj kao robot (Pinault, 1992.) Titularni ebanjski konj moe
letjeti na udaljenosti od jedne godine u jednom danu, a koristi se kao
vozilo od strane princa Perzije, Qamar al-Aqmar, u avanturama diljem
Perzije, Arabije i Bizanta. "Trea Qalandarska pria" takoer ima robot u
obliku neobinog amca. Meutim, valja istaknuti da su mnogi elementi
arapske mitologije i perzijske mitologije danas uobiajeni u modernoj
fantaziji, poput genija, bahamuta, arobnih tepiha, arobnih svjetiljki itd.,
Kada je L. Frank Baum predloio pisanje bajke koja je protjerala
stereotipne elemente, on je ukljuivao dinove kao i patuljku i vilu kao
stereotipove koji su ili (Thurber, 1984). Narativne tehnike Arapskih
Noi su drugi dio nae rasprave koja zasluuje blii pogled. th e prie je
poetna pria o kralju Shahrayar i njegovoj supruzi Shahrazad i ureaju
za uokvirivanje ugraene kroz prie. Prie proizlaze iz ove izvorne prie;
neki ar
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uokvirena u ovoj prii, dok drugi poinju i zavravaju vlastitim putem. Sve
prie pripovijeda Shahrazad, koji obino poinje sa svojom poznatom
reenicom: "Rekli su mi, o povoljan kralj, da ..." ili "Rekli su mi, ali
Allah vidi dalje ... to ..." (1), a zatim nastavlja opisivati heroj njezine
prie u onome to Propp naziva "poetnom situacijom". Zatim preputa
likovima da svojim priama priaju monolog i dijalog istodobno.
Sljedei primjer iz Shahrazadove etiristo i osamdesete devete none
prie ("Pria Abu Khira i Abu Sir") odraava narativnu tehniku koju je
koristila: "Rekli su mi ... O sretan kralj, to ... Kapetan je pitao za
prijatelja , a Abu Sir je odgovorio da je nosilac bio bolestan ... Onda je
kapetan rekao: "To e uskoro proi" (5). Shahrazad ovdje koristi tri
razliite narativne tehnike: Prvo, pripovijedanje prve osobe dok koristi
zamjenicu "Ja" Drugo, pripovijedanje o drugoj osobi koja podrazumijeva
upotrebu zamjenice "ti" u njezinoj reenici "O povoljan kralj", a ovdje je
referenca kralju Shahrayaru, koji predstavlja publiku ... Konano,
pripovijedanje tree osobe kao sve likove (Abu Khir i Meutim,
Shahrazad, glavni pripovjeda pria nikada ne koristi tipine fraze koje
se nalaze u arapskoj literaturi na kojoj su prie prevedene, kao to su
"Jednom na vrijeme "," Oni tvrde da ". Ona uvijek kae: "Rekli su
mi ...". Shahrazadova svrha bila je da kralj zainteresira svoje prie, tako
da je ne bi ubio kao i sa svojim prethodnim enama. Slijedom toga,
uporaba ove poetne fraze prua joj autoritet i mo koja je potaknula
kraljevu radoznalost i odrala ga budan do jutra, a onda bi zaspao cijeli
dan. Vano je napomenuti da je klasini arapski izraz Shahrazad najbolje
preveden u "Rekao sam ...", a ne "povezano je" kao to su to uinili neki
prevoditelji. S druge strane, upotreba monologa vrlo je esta u priama ,
Najbolji primjeri koji se ovdje navode su nosilac samoga sebe: "Ovo je
jako dobro jutro" (36), Harron al-Rashid za sebe "Ja u je kazniti sutra"
(51), kralj samome sebi, "Moj Gospodine, premali su! " (56), Qalandar u
sebi: "to se dogodilo s mojim ocem?" (56) Uporaba monologa privlai
sluatelja koji se oekuje da e odgovoriti na neka pitanja koja
zahtijevaju odgovor ili da budu zainteresirani za neke izjave koje
predviaju budunost dogaaje.Neki smo ranije vidjeli kako jedna pria
dovodi do mnogih drugih pria, obino postoji velika pria iz koje
proizlaze sve druge prie Shahrazadova naracija uvijek zavrava s
krajom glavne prie a ne manjom priom Na primjer, "Talija Abu-Khir i
Abu Sir" je glavni koji vodi do mnogih drugih pria: "The Three Wishes
Tale", "Djeak i guma pria", i "Postoji bijela i bijela pria". , pria o
"Diwan of Jovial i Indecent Folk" ukljuuje i druge manje prie kao to
su "The Historical Fort's Tale", "The Two Jesters 'Tale" i "enske trikove
prie". Pria o "Tri jabuke" obuhvaa pria o "Nur al-din i Shams al-
Din". Drugim rijeima, lik Shahrazadove pripovijetke poinje govoriti o
R likovi pripovijedaju svoju priu, a ta pria moe imati jo jedan koji se
navodi u njemu, to rezultira bogatim slojevitim narativnim teksturama.
Ulrich Marzolph sugerira da prie Arapskih Noi definitivno
predstavljaju rani primjer tehnike "prie u prii". Meutim, u arapskim
noima, pria se najee uvodi suptilnim sredstvima, osobito kao
odgovor na pitanja postavljena u prijanjoj prii (Marzolph, 2004). Kao
to je za postavljanje, zastupljenost mjesta je zanimljiva. Prie se obino
odvijaju u velikom i ogromnom ambijentu. Ifrits letjeti slobodno s
jednog mjesta na drugo. Sputaju se u dno mora ili na podzemlje gdje
grade svoje kraljevine. Meutim, blii pogled na zemljopis mjesta
opisanih u veini pria pokazuje da je veina pria smjetena unutar
granica Bagdada ili al-Basre. No, svijet tih pria nadilazi ova dva grada u
Aleksandriji, Kairu, Damasku, Omanu, Yamaneu, Grkoj, Zemljama
Ajam (ne-Arabi), Indiji i Sindu. Obino je Bagdad jedini grad koji je
detaljno opisan i prikazan kao prosperitetni trgovaki grad gdje se tamo
 prodaju razne robe iz mnogih zemalja. itamo o plodovima iz razliitih
krajeva svijeta: jabukama iz Bilad al-Sham (Velika Sirijska regija),
breskvama iz Oman, limuna iz Egipta i tako dalje. Tako smo primijetili
da se autor prie uvijek odnosi na zemlje al-Mashrik al-Arabija
(arapskog orijenta); a ne Al-Maghrib al-Arabi (zapadni dio arapskog
svijeta). ak i opisani putovi nikada ne prelaze na zapad, ali uvijek na
istok, poevi od rijeke Dijla (poznat u priama kao Dijla mora).
Ponekad se susreemo s drugim

mjesta za koja nikad nismo uli, kao to su otoci al-Salama (otoci sigurnosti) ili
neka mitoloka mjesta kao to je Qaf Mountain, ili grad koji lik dopire, a
da nam ne dade svoje ime. ujemo heroje govore o tajanstvenim
mjestima: "Putovao sam dok sam stigao do grada svog strica" (85),
"Odetao sam iz peine dok nisam stigao do grada koji ive dobri ljudi"
(61). Nadalje, rijetko itamo priu koja ne ukljuuje putovanje u sklopu
svojih dogaaja. More je ovdje vrlo vaan element da su mnogi gradovi
uspostavljeni u blizini mora, rijeke ili jezera. Obino itamo kako se
junak priprema za putovanje u sklopu svoje avanture rijeiti zagonetku ili
ponijeti princezu kui ili dobiti novac. Slijedi opis brodova, mornara,
kapetana i same avanture. S druge strane, naii emo na borbu izmeu
junaka i Jinn-a ili Ifrita na brodu. Ponekad smo proitali o junaku koji je
spaen od utapanja Jinnom ili Ifritom. Mitska mjesta, ako ih mogu zvati
tako, razlikuju prie o Sharazadu. Ta zamiljena mjesta poput Planine
Magnet, ili Grad Metamorfora ili Planina Qaf u "Porteru u Bagdadu"
odraavaju ivopisnu matu autora. Planina Magenta ne postoji u
stvarnosti; meutim, njegov opis puno dodaje svojoj misteriji. Ima veliku
kupolu u kojoj je zadivljeni princ bio zatvoren. To je prokleto mjesto
koje se Ifrits koristi za unitenje brodova koji su ga povukli zbog svoje
magnetske snage. itali smo i o Metamorphosed Cityu koji je proklet bio
jer su njegovi graani uivali u uicima. Kaznili su ih munjama koje su
sve pretvorile u crne kamenje. Qaf Mountain je jo jedno mitsko mjesto
koje je poznato kao simbol velikih udaljenosti u popularnim arapskim
folktalima openito. Dostupni su samo vjeti arobnjaci ili snani Ifrits
jer ih ljudi teko mogu nai. Vrijedno je spomenuti da je Qaf Mountain
spomenut u asnom Kur'anu (Qaf Surat 50: 1), koje su islamski
prevoditelji Kur'ana i islamski filozofi opisali kao nevidljivu veliku
planinu, izraenu od smaragda i okruuju zemlju. Kau da je naseljen
Jinni i kako je vjerovanje u nevidljivo, to se spominje u asnom
Kur'anu dio muslimanskog uvjerenja, svi Muslimani vjeruju u njegovo
postojanje. Osim toga, princeza u etrnaestoj nonoj prii opisuje njezinu
arobnu sposobnost da premjeste grad njezina oca iza planine Qaf:
"Mogu premjestiti kamenje vaeg grada iza planine Qaf" (69). U "The
Three Sisters Tale", jedna od sestara govori o enama Jinn, koji se
pojavljuje samo ako je zapaljena kose posljednjeg kose: "Dala mi je
kravu i rekla, ako eli da doem, spali ovu bradu i ja u doi ak i ako
budem iza planine Qaf "(197). To sugerira da je planina daleko u
nepoznatom svijetu. Zakljuujemo da ova strukturna studija tipova i
funkcija karaktera, elementi fantazije, postavljanja i narativne tehnike u
arapskim noi omoguuju itatelju da razumije zajednike oblike i
svojstva koji razlikuju knjigu kao cjelinu i predstavljaju znaajan sustav
koji je jasna znaajka pria. Koliko ovo istraivanje ima za cilj
rekonstituirati jedinicu djela i njeno naelo koherentnosti, ona takoer
znai otvoriti nove horizonte za daljnju raspravu. Dublje itanje vie
pria zasigurno e donijeti vie plodonosne kritike. O autoru: Dr. Sura
 Mohammed Khrais, izvanredni profesor engleske knjievnosti na Al-
Balqa primijenjenom sveuilitu, Princess Alia University College. Moji
osnovni interesi su modemski roman i svjetska knjievnost posebno u
odnosu na post kolonijalnu kritiku. Imam nekoliko radova objavljenih na
ovim temama. Knjige navode Abbab, N. (1949). "Fragment od tisuu
noi iz devetoga stoljea: novo svjetlo na ranu povijest arapskih noi". U
Ulrich Marzolph (ur.), The Arabian Nights Reader (str. 21-82). Detroit:
Wayne State University PressAli, M.J. (1980). Arapski noi u engleskoj
knjievnosti: studije na prijemu tisuu i jednog uenika u britansku
kulturu. Peter L. Caracciolo, Macmillan.Ali, M.J. (2006). "Rast
znanstvenog interesa u arapskim noima". U Ulrich Marzolph (ur.), The
Arabian Nights Reader (str. 1-20). Detroit: Dravno sveuilite Wayne
Press.Aliakbari, R. (2014). "Heterotopic Gothic Englishness i
ekononopolitiki arapski noi"
sc.academia.edu/SinaMansouriZeyni/FollowersAllen, R. (1984).
"Analiza" prie triju jabuka "iz Tisuu i jedne noi. U Ulrich Marzolph
(ur.), The Arabian Nights Reader. (str. 239-248). Detroit: Dravno
sveuilite Wayne PressAl-Olaqi, F. (2012). "Utjecaj arapskih noi na
englesku knjievnost: selektivna studija". Europski asopis za drutvene
znanosti 31 (3). 384-396. Barry, P. (2002). "Strukturalizam" u P Barry,
teorija poetka: Uvod u knjievnu an
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