ENG 2800 with Prof. McGlynn

What first struck me about Arabian Nights was the structure of the literature as it is compiled of all these different accounts and stories of people. This is interesting and comes down to the plan that Sharahazad is contriving whereby she is tricking the king into keeping her alive by her eloquent and interesting stories that never end. One of the most important themes that i have picked up on so far is that ‘women cannot be trusted’. We see this when both brothers wives cheat on them as soon as they turn their back on their homes. This is a recurring theme that has been apparent in all the epic texts we have read so far this semester. Together with the notion of infidelity the theme of trust and hospitality also can be related to the other texts we have read. There is again like in the Odyssey already a number of instances whereby the characters disguise themselves as the slaves did with the servants when they had intercourse and by the brothers who disguise to go unnoticed when entering the palace to spy on the elder’s wife. Both women and men then are cunning and sly. It is also refreshing to read a text based on Arabic culture as I have read little to none.