Irony in Resalat Al-Ghufran (The Epistle of Forgiveness) by Abu al-ʿAlaʾ al-Maʿarri

Dr. Nizar Abdallah Aldhmour

Abstract

The paper aims at studying ironies in Abu al-ʿAlaʾ al-Maʿarri's Resalat Al-Ghufran which is considered one of the most important prosaic Abbasid epistles in the fifth Hijri Century for the literary reputation among writers, poets and critics its writer gained.  Al-Maʿarri's personality and difficult life conditions socially and psychologically influenced his poetic and prosaic works which thematize his indignation against the community, constant pessimism and harsh reproach to family and friends.

The paper includes an introduction and two parts. In the theoretical part, the concept, topics, elements, forms, applications and significance of irony in modern literary and critical studies are addressed.

In the analytic part, the elements, forms, style, language and imagery of the epistle are examined to unfold its literary, aesthetic, linguistic and figurative significance. The analysis conducted may drive readers' curiosity to question the forms and content of the epistle.

The study finds that Al-Maʿarri used different types of verbal, dramatic, romantic Socratic, assonant and dissonant ironies to unveil contradictions between truth and reality, honesty and lies in human communities as shown in his antagonism with Ibn Al-Qarih whom he represents as a hypocrite for the contradiction between his religious appearance and his deeds in reality.