Abstract

SALMAN ALQAHTANI, Ahmad. Comparison of Feminine Beauty to the Animal Kingdom in Classic Arabic Poetry. Estud. Asia Áfr. [online]. 2024, vol.59, n.1, pp.39-67.  Epub Apr 01, 2024. ISSN 2448-654X.  https://doi.org/10.24201/eaa.v59i1.2852.

Throughout Arabic literature there are abundant examples of a phenomenon that could be called the “analogies of beauty”. Generally, these comparisons constitute allegories, in which certain reiterated features of an ideal woman are equated with beautiful characteristics of certain animals, without the reason for said association being elucidated. The notable presence of such analogies in the Arab tradition, both in poetry and in lexicography, denotes an extensive literary topic rather than a mere isolated stylistic device. This article tries to expose and identify these literary manifestations, suggesting possible explanations about their reason for being in the Arab tradition and culture.

Keywords : beauty; woman; zoology; poetry; lexicography.

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