We know Shahrazad’s strategy in telling this series of tales, but is there any moral or didactic purpose in any of the content of the tales?
Women and “black” men receive particularly troubling portrayals in the frame narrative and in some of these tales. Do you find 1001 Nights racist or sexist? Can we even speak in terms of “racism” and “sexism” as those terms are used today?
Repetition and numbers help to structure the tales, and 3s are especially common structuring elements. How many events occur in 3s in the story? What is the effect of sequences of 3 in the tales?
How many different ways is verse used in the tales? In other words, is there a rhetorical strategy in the use of verse rather than prose in some places?
The “frame narrative” passages between tales are largely repetitive and formulaic, but is there any development of the narrative or character development within those passages? Think especially of the character of King Shahrayar.