Orality and Textuality in the Iranian World: Patterns of Interaction Across the Centuries (Jerusalem Studies in Religion and Culture)

"The volume demonstrates the cultural centrality of the oral tradition for Iranian studies. It contains contributions from scholars from various areas of Iranian and comparative studies, among which are the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian tradition with its wide network of influences in late antique Mesopotamia, notably among the Jewish milieu; classical Persian literature in its manifold genres; medieval Persian history; oral history; folklore and more. The essays in this collection embrace both the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods, both verbal and visual media, as well as various language communities (Middle Persian, Persian, Tajik, Dari) and geographical spaces (Greater Iran in pre-Islamic and Islamic medieval periods; Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan of modern times). Taken as a whole, the essays reveal the unique blending of oral and literate poetics in the texts or visual artefacts each author focuses upon, conceptualizing their interrelationship and function. Contributors are: Frantz Grenet, Jo-Ann Gross, Charles G. Häberl, Galit Hasan-Rokem, Reuven Kiperwasser, Ulrich Marzolph, Margaret A. Mills, Ravshan Rahmoni, Karl Reichl, Julia Rubanovich, Shaul Shaked, Raya Shani, Dan Y. Shapira, Maria E. Subtelny, Gabrielle R. van den Berg, Yuhan S.-D. Vevaina, Naama Vilozny, Mohsen Zakeri, and Tsila Zan-Bar Tsur"--Provided by publisher. Julia Rubanovich: Introduction: New Perspectives on Orality in Iranian Studies Part 1: Approaching Orality 1 Karl Reichl: Memory and Textuality in the Orality-Literacy Continuum 2 Shaul Shaked: Orality and Esotericism: Reflections on Modes of Transmission in Late Antiquity Part 2: Sacred Traditions and Oral History 3 Reuven Kiperwasser and Dan D.Y. Shapira: Irano-Talmudica III: Giant Mythological Creatures in Transition from the Avesta to the Babylonian Talmud 4 Maria E. Subtelny: The Islamic Ascension Narrative in the Context of Conversion in Medieval Iran: An Apocalypse at the Intersection of Orality and Textuality 5 Jo-Ann Gross: The Motif of the Cave and the Funerary Narrativesof Nāṣir-i Khusrau Part 3: Iranian Epic Tradition 6 Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina: ‘The Ground Well Trodden But the Shah Not Found . . .’: Orality and Textuality in the ‘Book of Kings’ and the Zoroastrian Mythoepic Tradition 7 Gabrielle R. van den Berg: ‘The Book of the Black Demon,’ or Shabrang-nāma, and the Black Demon in Oral Tradition 8 Julia Rubanovich: Why So Many Stories? Untangling the Versions of Iskandar’s Birth and Upbringing 9 Raya Shani: Some Comments on the Probable Sources of Ibn Ḥusām’s Khāvarān-nāma and the Oral Transmission of Epic Materials 10 Ulrich Marzolph: Professional Storytelling (naqqālī) in Qājār Iran Part 4: Oral and Literary Traditions as Channels of Cultural Transformation 11 Mohsen Zakeri: The Literary Use of Proverbs and Myths in Nāṣir-i Khusrau’s Dīvān 12 Galit Hasan-Rokem: Classical Poetry as Cultural Capital in the Proverbs of Jews from Iran: Transformations of Intertextuality 13 Margaret Mills and Ravshan Rahmoni: Gashtak: Oral/Literary Intertextuality, Performance and Identity in Contemporary Tajikistan 14 Tsila Zan-Bar Tsur: The Tale of ‘The Old Woman on the Mountain’: A Jewish Folktale from Afghanistan Part 5: Performative Aspects of Orality in Visual Artefacts 15 Charles G. Häberl: Aramaic Incantation Texts between Orality and Textuality 16 Naama Vilozny: Between Demons and Kings: The Art of Babylonian Incantation Bowls 17 Frantz Grenet: Between Written Texts, Oral Performances and Mural Paintings: Illustrated Scrolls in Pre-Islamic Central Asia Introduction: New perspectives on orality in Iranian studies / Julia Rubanovich Part 1. Approaching orality Memory and textuality in the orality-literacy continuum / Karl Reichl Orality and esotericism : reflections on modes of transmission in late antiquity / Shaul Shaked Part 2. Sacred traditions and oral history Irano-Talmudica III : giant mythological creatures in transition from the Avesta to the Babylonian Talmud / Reuven Kiperwasser and Dan D.Y. Shapira The Islamic ascension narrative in the context of conversion in medieval Iran : an apocalypse at the intersection of orality and textuality / Maria E. Subtelny The motif of the cave and the funerary narratives of Nāṣir-i Khusrau / Jo-Ann Gross Part 3. Iranian epic tradition "The ground well trodden but the Shah not found..." : orality and textuality in the Book of Kings and the Zoroastrian mythoepic tradition / Yuhan S.-D. Vevaina "The Book of the Black Demon," or Shabrang-nama, and the black demon in oral tradition / Gabrielle R. van den Berg Why so many stories? : untangling the versions of Iskandar's birth and upbringing / Julia Rubanovich Some comments on the probable sources of ibn Ḥusām's Khavaran-nama and the oral transmission of epic materials / Raya Shani Professional storytelling (naqqali) in Qajar Iran / Ulrich Marzolph Part 4. Oral and literary traditions as channels of cultural transformation The literary use of proverbs and myths in Nāṣir-i Khusrau's Divan / Mohsen Zakeri Classical poetry as cultural capital in the proverbs of Jews from Iran : transformations of intertextuality / Galit Hasan-Rokem Gashtak : oral/literary intertextuality, performance and identity in contemporary Tajikistan / Margaret Mills and Ravshan Rahmoni The Tale of the Old Woman on the Mountain : Jewish folktale from Afghanistan / Tsila Zan-Bar Tsur Part 5. Performative aspects of orality in visual artefacts Aramaic incantation texts between orality and textuality / Charles G. Haberl Between demons and kings : the art of Babylonian incantation bowls / Naama Vilozny Between written texts, oral performances and mural paintings : illustrated scrolls in pre-Islamic Central Asia / Frantz Grenet. The Orality And Textuality In The Iranian World Provides Important Evidence Of Textual Culture's Intimate, Extensive, And Ongoing Interaction With The Realm Of Orality, Mapping Out New Areas And Foci Of Research In Iranian Studies.