Critical Themes in the Poetry of Todros Abulafia

Sharqawy, Haitham M.

doi:10.21608/qarts.2023.241950.1774

Critical Themes in the Poetry of Todros Abulafia

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Haitham M. Sharqawy

Lecturer of Medieval Hebrew and Comparative Literature, Department of Hebrew Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts, South Valley University, Egypt. Visiting Research Scholar‎, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan.

10.21608/qarts.2023.241950.1774

Abstract

This study offers an analysis of critical Themes in the poetry of Todros Abulafia through focusing on three main aspects: the issue of telling the truth and telling lies, his position concerning imitation and innovation, and the issue of poetic plagiarism respectively. This study aims at investigating the critical and rhetorical skills of Todros Abulafia. This is in addition to tackling extent of his being influenced by the Hebrew Andalusian literature and his position concerning literal trends and cultural interactions in the north of Iberia Peninsula in the thirteenth century. Moreover, significance of this study stems from indicating Todros Abulafia's position concerning innovation and imitation as this study sheds light on manifestations of innovation in his poetry as well as indicating a certain aspect of imitation.

Abstract

This study offers an analysis of critical Themes in the poetry of Todros Abulafia through focusing on three main aspects: the issue of telling the truth and telling lies, his position concerning imitation and innovation, and the issue of poetic plagiarism respectively. This study aims at investigating the critical and rhetorical skills of Todros Abulafia. This is in addition to tackling extent of his being influenced by the Hebrew Andalusian literature and his position concerning literal trends and cultural interactions in the north of Iberia Peninsula in the thirteenth century. Moreover, significance of this study stems from indicating Todros Abulafia's position concerning innovation and imitation as this study sheds light on manifestations of innovation in his poetry as well as indicating a certain aspect of imitation.

Keywords: Critical Themes, Todros Abulafia, telling the truth and telling lies, imitation and innovation, poetic plagiarism.

Keywords