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Veiled, secluded, submissive, oppressed--the "odalisque" image
has held sway over Western representations of Muslim women since
the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. Yet during medieval
and Renaissance times, European writers portrayed Muslim women in
exactly the opposite way, as forceful queens of wanton and
intimidating sexuality.
In this illuminating study, Mohja Kahf traces the process
through which the "termagant" became an "odalisque" in Western
representations of Muslim women. Drawing examples from medieval
chanson de geste and romance, Renaissance drama, Enlightenment
prose, and Romantic poetry, she links the changing images of Muslim
women to changes in European relations with the Islamic world, as
well as to changing gender dynamics within Western societies.
The central matter of this daring new collection is the story of
Hagar, Abraham, and Sarah—the ancestral feuding family of
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These poems delve into the Hajar
story in Islam. They explore other figures from the Near Eastern
heritage, such as Mary and Moses, and touch on figures from early
Islam, such as Fatima and Aisha. Throughout, there is artful
reconfiguring. Readers will find sequels and prequels to the
traditional narratives, along with modernized figures claimed for
contemporary conflicts. Hagar Poems is a compelling shakeup of not
only Hagar’s story but also of current roles of all kinds of
women in all kinds of relationships.
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