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The Compass of Story: The Oriental Tale and Western Imagination
28 & 29 March 2008
Convened by Marina Warner, FBA, University of Essex
The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1
Friday, 28 March 2008
SOAS, 3.00pm
Special screening of The Thief of Baghdad (1925) in the Khalili Theatre, Main Building, School of Oriental and African Studies
British Academy, 7pm – 8.30pm
Drinks reception and readings for the Compass of Story led by Marina Warner, FBA
The Compass of Story workshop will open on Friday 28 March with a cluster of stories and passages from stories taken from The Arabian Nights and the oriental tales the book has inspired, by writers such as Voltaire and Tennyson; these will be chosen and read by the participants. A drinks reception will follow.
- Ferial Ghazoul: The opening of the 1001 Nights (in Arabic)
- Ros Ballaster: 'The Story of the Husband and the Parrot' in Arabian Nights’ Entertainments
- Philip Kennedy: The Koran and Zadig by Voltaire
- Rebecca Johnson: Bath scene from Vathek
- Robert Irwin: Hassan by James Ellroy Flecker
- Geert Jan van Gelder: Tennyson, Haroun al Rashid; or Walter de la Mare, Araby or ‘Books’
- Robert L. Mack: Eden Phillpotts The White Camel (1936)
- Elliott Colla: North African 101 Nights collection
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Workshop, British Academy, 9.30am - 5.30pm,
The Compass of Story workshop will explore the impact of oriental story-telling, in particular the Arabian Nights, on western fiction and entertainment. This influence takes many rich and exciting forms and has only begun to be appreciated. The speakers include writers and literary scholars from the Middle East (Elias Khoury and Ferial Ghazoul) and specialists in Arabic literature as well as European comparative literature from the United States and this country (Peter Chelkowski, Robert Irwin, Ros Ballaster, et al.) The talks and readings aim to develop a deeper understanding of the long, imaginative interactions between the Middle Eastern and Western worlds, and illuminate how the Oriental Tale shaped values, style, and narrative modes, inspiring European 18th century satirists, fantasists, and librettists, as well as, in the twentieth century, the experimental fictions of Proust and Joyce. The day will take the form of a workshop in order to generate maximum discussion with the audience.
Please note our registration and seating policy:
Attendance is free but registration is essential. Please register using the online booking form.