Literary Critical Theory in al-Andalus between Innovation and Tradition: Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi as a Model

Abstract

Throughout its long history, al-Andalus witnessed a rich literary, linguistic, and critical movement. At times, this movement reflected complete dependence on the literary and scholarly activity of the Mashriq, while at other times it represented an attempt to assert its own identity and a tendency toward establishing a distinct literary and intellectual achievement in the face of the increasingly dominant and expansive Mashriqi influence. This concern constituted a persistent dilemma for Andalusian writers and intellectuals, who frequently voiced their complaints about this Eastern cultural invasion and about the inclination toward submission and dependence among the general population of al-Andalus, including common people, writers, and thinkers.

Ibn Hazm al-Zahiri represents one of the prominent figures of Arab-Islamic thought, literature, and philosophy. He was a polymath scholar and the author of an extensive intellectual legacy in the fields of legal theory, jurisprudence, language, literature, history, and logic. In addition, he was a critic distinguished by exceptional originality, uniqueness, and controversy among Andalusian critics, despite not being widely recognized as a leading literary critic within Andalusian critical circles and despite not having devoted independent works specifically to his critical views and insights. His critical opinions constitute a significant exercise in critical reasoning, making it difficult for most scholars of literary criticism to overlook them or refrain from examining them and exploring their intellectual and philosophical foundations.