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A review by meganzc
The Arabian Nights: A Companion by Robert Irwin
3.0
I am tempted to give this book a higher rating because of the breadth and quality of the scholarship. It is clear that Irwin has had to scour many obscure texts in many languages (most remain untranslated) that are furthermore only available in a few libraries around the world. Much of the information he collects I do not have access to anywhere else. I am excited by all I have learned from this text.
Irwin's purpose was to give a rather broad survey of themes related to the Nights (including origins and authorship, issues of translation, historical context, formal structure and motifs, and influence on later literature), and to that end he succeeds. However, the end result was thoroughly unsatisfying for me. Every time my interest piqued and I wanted to know more, he moved on rather than diving deeper. Deep analysis and history were not Irwin's aims, so I am not sure he really deserves to be faulted for the lack. That said, I rate books according to my experience of them, not according to some objective standard (which couldn't exist anyway). I would still enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for further background on the Nights.
Irwin's purpose was to give a rather broad survey of themes related to the Nights (including origins and authorship, issues of translation, historical context, formal structure and motifs, and influence on later literature), and to that end he succeeds. However, the end result was thoroughly unsatisfying for me. Every time my interest piqued and I wanted to know more, he moved on rather than diving deeper. Deep analysis and history were not Irwin's aims, so I am not sure he really deserves to be faulted for the lack. That said, I rate books according to my experience of them, not according to some objective standard (which couldn't exist anyway). I would still enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for further background on the Nights.