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A review by spitzig
The Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights by Anonymous
4.0
I could give this 3 or 4 stars. It was fun, though lighter than I expected from a classic.
I was surprised how much it talked about Allah-the characters REALLY frequently said things like "praise be to His name" in conversation. These stories were originally told orally, so they are obviously pretty old. Western stories this old would probably be similarly peppered with Christian references.
I know that traditional Arabian culture is pretty sexist, so it didn't surprise me that much that the stories were.
I was surprised how detailed the sex scenese were. Things like "sheathing his sword". And, how many times "he enjoyed her" one night.
One big complaint about the stories is that some of them are SO unbelievable. Like, thieves hoarding money and goods for generations in a cave. I kind of think thieves would spend the money and sell the goods. Another time, a woman boiled 37 men alive, one at a time. Apparently, she was able to do this because they were silent while being boiled alive.
Some of the morals presented seemed wierd. Like, if a guy gives money from a bottomless bag of money, that actually makes him a generous person.
I was unclear about the opinion presented of magic. Sometimes magic seemed to be considered unequivically bad, and opposed to Allah's will. Sometimes, it was just something to be used as a tool.
Alladin's girlfriend's name wasn't Jasmine.
I also got this version because it was translated by Richard Burton. I'd suggest looking him up. He seems like a VERY interesting character, and I plan to read a biography of him.
I was surprised how much it talked about Allah-the characters REALLY frequently said things like "praise be to His name" in conversation. These stories were originally told orally, so they are obviously pretty old. Western stories this old would probably be similarly peppered with Christian references.
I know that traditional Arabian culture is pretty sexist, so it didn't surprise me that much that the stories were.
I was surprised how detailed the sex scenese were. Things like "sheathing his sword". And, how many times "he enjoyed her" one night.
One big complaint about the stories is that some of them are SO unbelievable. Like, thieves hoarding money and goods for generations in a cave. I kind of think thieves would spend the money and sell the goods. Another time, a woman boiled 37 men alive, one at a time. Apparently, she was able to do this because they were silent while being boiled alive.
Some of the morals presented seemed wierd. Like, if a guy gives money from a bottomless bag of money, that actually makes him a generous person.
I was unclear about the opinion presented of magic. Sometimes magic seemed to be considered unequivically bad, and opposed to Allah's will. Sometimes, it was just something to be used as a tool.
Alladin's girlfriend's name wasn't Jasmine.
I also got this version because it was translated by Richard Burton. I'd suggest looking him up. He seems like a VERY interesting character, and I plan to read a biography of him.