Sir Richard Burton: a study of his literary works relating to the Arab world and Islam
Abstract
This thesis is concerned with a critical analysis from
a Moslem's point of view of Sir Richard Burton's works relating
to the Arab World and Islam. The research will attempt to
establish the merits and shortcomings of Burton's works in the
light of the proposed research. It will, however, at the same
time attempt to establish from internal evidence the extent and
nature of Burton's knowledge of both Arabic and Islam.
The thesis is divided into seven chapters, each of which deals
with one or more of Burton's works. Chapter one deals with
Burton's pilgrimage to Mecca and El-Medinah. Chapter two deals
with the collection of proverbs "Proverbia Communia Syriaca."
Chapter three covers Burton's Kasidah and discusses his interest
in Sufism and spiritualism. Chapter four concentrates on his
translation of The Arabian Nights paying particular attention to
the annotations and "Terminal Essay." Chapter five deals with
The Perfumed Garden and tries to make a comparison between
Burton's translation and its Arabic original in order to estimate
to what extent could Burton's Garden be taken as a representative
of the original. Chapter six deals with Burton's three essays
The Jew, The Gypsy and El-Islam. This chapter concentrates on Burton's religious loyalty and also points out the true reasons
behind writing these essays. Chapter seven touches upon almost
all his other works and translations. It attempts to establish
and prove the fact that the study of the grabs and Islam and the
interest in them was a life-long obsession with Burton rather
than a temporary occupation. The conclusion attempts to put
together the findings of all the other chapters. However, it
will concentrate on pointing out where did really Burton's
religious and racial loyalties lie as well as give a brief
and concluding comment of the nature and extent of his knowledge
of both the Arabic language and Islam. The eight appendixes
that follow the research include technical data ranging from
Burton's background reading to the listing of topics he
studied or referred to in the Moslem religion.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.