The Case Of Rhyme Versus Reason ─ IBN Al-Rumi And His Poetics In Context

In this thorough and extensive study, McKinney (Arabic literature, Indiana U.) examines the life of Ibn al-Rumi and the context and structure of his poetry. Through historical and literary Arabic sources, studies of classical and Renaissance literatures, and anthropological studies of ritual and ancient Arabian institutions, McKinney elucidates Ibn al-Rumi's poem written to commemorate the quashing of the Zanj rebellion. He brings together all the arguments advanced about the influence of Greek philosophical and physical sciences on Ibn al-Rumi and also discusses channels of influence previously unexamined. Another major component of McKinney's study is his discussion of the architectonics and organization of Ibn al-Rumi's poetry. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Robert C. McKinney, Ph.D. (1998) in Arabic Literature, Indiana University, has taught at the University of Khartoum in the Sudan, Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman, and Dartmouth College in the U.S. He now teaches Classical Arabic Literature at the American University in Cairo.