The 1001 Nights: How Compilation, Translation, and Adaptation Influenced a Global Work of Literature

Author

Mary Evelyn Quinlan, College of the Holy CrossFollow

Date of Creation

5-1-2022

Document Type

Campus Access Only

First Advisor

Jean Ouedraogo

Abstract

The 1001 Nights: How Compilation, Translation, and Adaptation Influenced a Global Work of Literature is about the history of the genre of literature encapsulated by the title the 1001 Nights. The 1001 Nights as a collection of stories dates back to oral tradition in the 9th century. The Nights first entered Europe during the early 1700s. Translators and readers alike searched for the “original” or “authentic” version of the Nights. The complicated history of the manuscripts of the 1001 Nights means that there are many different versions in existence. As a result, the 1001 Nights should be considered a genre rather than a specific text. Translation projects from Arabic to French and English during the early modern period often reflected the sociopolitical relationships between Europe and the Middle East during that time. In the process of translation itself, interpretation plays an important role in how the translation will turn out. Galland’s translation methods set a precedent for future translators to take various liberties when translating their own manuscripts of the Nights.

The adaptations of the 1001 Nights appear in almost every artistic medium in the world. Adaptations of the 1001 Nights exist in countries from the Middle East as well as around the world. Adaptation allows for even looser adherence to source material than translation. Adaptors can cater their creations to the backgrounds, needs, and interests of their audiences, and through the changes made in these adaptations we can see evidence of the preferences of those audiences. The 1001 Nights as a genre of art has a history that spans over a thousand years and across thousands of miles. Each retelling of Scheherazade’s story reflects the journey that the stories took to become that retelling. Through the history of the 1001 Nights, readers can learn of the relationships that stories have with the people who tell them, and how those people can affect those stories.

Comments

Reader: Sahar Bazzaz

Recommended Citation

Quinlan, Mary Evelyn, "The 1001 Nights: How Compilation, Translation, and Adaptation Influenced a Global Work of Literature" (2022). College Honors Program. 46.
https://crossworks.holycross.edu/honors/46