Literature

 

THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN

 

I. The Novel in Context

i. Guy Gavriel Kay and The Lions of Al-Rassan

ii. Literature and Legend

iii. The Iberian Peninsula

II. Characters

i. In Al-Rassan

ii. In Esperaña

iii. In the Majriti

iv. In Ferrieres

v. In Batiara

vi. Foils

III. Settings

i. Al-Rassan

ii. Esperana

iii. The Majriti

iv. Soriyya and Ammuz

v. Batiara

vi. Ferrieres, Karch, and Waleska

IV. Plot and Structure

i. Overview: Angles and Cycles

ii. Plot Review

V. Narrative Strategies

i. Narrator

ii. Romanticism and the Liminal Space

iii. Humor

iv. Dramatic Style

v. Foreshadowing

vi. Suspense and Trickery

vii. Symbolism and Motifs

VI. Major Themes

  1. Shifting Identity
  2. The Inheritance of Legacy and Legend
  3. Women’s Roles in a Men’s World
  4. The Shared Essence of Religion

 

 

POETRY

I. Sadako Kurihara, "We Shall Bring Forth New Life"
II. Rudyard Kipling, "We and They"
III. Langston Hughes, "I, Too, Sing America"
IV. e e cummings, "one's not half two. It's two are halves of one:"
V. Abu al-Baqa' al-Rundi, "Elegy on the Fall of Seville"