English I

Study Guide for The Arabian Nights

The stories contained in our text were accumulated over centuries, originating in
oral forms that were later written down. Truly generative narratives, they have influenced
countless other tales in many cultures around the world. Perhaps someone read The
Arabian Nights to you when you were younger, or maybe you have seen film versions of
Sinbad and laddin!s exploits. "ou may have noticed that our translator does not include
these latter stories because they come from a later time period and their origins are
controversial #see xii and xiii in our edition$. %evertheless, as you read the selected tales
on our syllabus, you will recogni&e many familiar character types and plot conventions.
s you read each assignment, you need to prepare a synopsis for each one.
synopsis is a brief summary of all the ma'or elements in a literary wor(. "ou will find a
form for each story attached to this cover page. Each night complete the appropriate one,
and you will find that you have an invaluable review pac(et to help you prepare for the
unit test and later for the exam. I will chec( your synopsis in class each day.
)ere is a list of *uestions to contemplate as you read The Arabian Nights:
+hat is the frame,tale and how do you find this one connects to the later stories-
+hat are some of the organi&ing principles of the stories #repetitions, numbers,
use of verse sections, etc.$ -
In what ways do the narratives generate more tales within tales-
+hat is the power of storytelling-
+hat are the themes that connect different pieces-
.oes it ma(e a difference that Shahra&ad is a woman-
+hat other wor(s of literature have you read that share characteristics with these-
)ow do the real and the magical combine to offer a view of reality in these tales-
s the author of our /oreword suggests, this text 0abounds also with splendid biographies
that teach the reader to detect deception and to protect 1herself2 from it, as well as delight
and divert 1her2 whenever 1she2 is burdened with the cares and ills of the world3 #4$.
+isdom and en'oyment bec(on5
Synopsis: The Prologue: [The Story of King Shahrayar
And Shahrazad, His Viziers Daughter (3-11)
6haracters7
Plot Summary7
Themes7
Special 8iterary 6haracteristics7
Synopsis: The Tale of the Ox and the Doney (11-13)
6haracters7
Plot Summary7
Themes7
Special 8iterary 6haracteristics7
Synopsis: The Tale of the !er"hant and His #ife (14-16)
6haracters7
Plot Summary7
Themes7
Special 8iterary 6haracteristics7

Synopsis: The Story of the !er"hant and the De$on (17-29)
6haracters7
Plot Summary7
Themes7
Special 8iterary 6haracteristics7
Synopsis: The Story of the %isher$an and the De$on (30-36)
6haracters7
Plot Summary7
Themes7
Special 8iterary 6haracteristics7
Synopsis: The Story of the Hun"h&a"
6haracters7
Plot Summary7
Themes7
Special 8iterary 6haracteristics7
Synopsis: 'ullanar and the Sea (383-428)
6haracters7
Plot Summary7
Themes7
Special 8iterary 6haracteristics7