Beauty in Arabic Culture (Princeton Series on the Middle East)
Although the arts were appreciated and promoted throughout the Arabic-Muslim world for centuries, there were no theoretical writings on the arts similar to those in classical Europe. However, as is the case in premodern and traditional cultures, the absence of aesthetic theory in Arab culture did not preclude the awareness of the link between beauty and art, beauty for pleasure, and moral beauty. In this analysis of the Arabic discourse on beauty in architecture, decorative arts, music, and literature, Behrens-Abouseif (Univ. of Munich) provides a variety of examples of the concepts of beauty in classical Arabic-Muslim culture through the 15th century. She draws on primary Arabic texts (such as the use of erotic metaphor in the work of Sufi mystic poets) to show that artistic work was not always associated only with the metaphysical and the divine. Originally written in German, this book offers a thoroughly original and comprehensible explanation of the artistic and aesthetic legacy of a little-understood culture. Highly recommended for all collections.AAli Houissa, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.