Social differences in The Arabian Nights:A Reform There is, in their stories, instruction for men endued with understanding. It is not a tale invented, but a confirmation of what went before it,-a detailed exposition of all things, and a guide and a mercy to any such as believe. Qur’an, XII:111

2. Prepared by
Baraa Merheb

3. SOCIAL DIFFERENCES IN
THE ARABIAN NIGHTS :
A REFORM
There is, in their stories, instruction for men endued
with understanding. It is not a tale invented, but a
confirmation of what went before it,-a detailed
exposition of all things, and a guide and a mercy to
any such as believe. Qur’an, XII:111

4. While reading the rewrite of the Arabian Nights by
Mahfouz, Arabian Nights And Days, I found that
Mahfouz has woven a correlation between both,
economic and social situation, and power and
corruption. In the early pages of the novel, Shahrayar
confides to his vizier Dandan: “Her stories… open up
worlds that invite reflection.” (Mahfouz, 2)
This quote stirred my imagination and encouraged me
to question the hidden intentions
of the original Shahrazad in
Burton’s stories.

5. Although many critics think her stories to be a mere
means of entertainment, or just a device to flee her
death, Shahrazad’s stories were in fact a whole
system of reform to the king, kingdom, and the
whole system of government. The stories seem to
shed light on important social aspects, divisions and
corruption.

6. My goal in this paper is to show how Mahfouz’s
rewrite offers an alternate social perspective to the
reading and understanding of The Arabian Nights.
I will deal mainly with the stories of Alaeddin; Or, The
Wonderful Lamp and Ma'aruf The Cobbler And His Wife
Fatimah from Burton's Arabian Nights, and Aladdin
With The Moles On His Cheeks and Ma'rouf The Cobbler
of Mahfouz's Arabian Nights And Days.

7. I will divide my paper into three sections:
The first section will discuss Mahfouz's clear
division of social classes and
afford a close analysis of the
poor characters and the
corrupting effect of
power on them, and the
upper-class characters and the
possible means for them to reform.

8. The second part will discuss the main
characters in Burton's Nights and draw an
understanding of their
behaviors and motivations in the light of
Mahfouz's revelations.

9. The third part will conclude by revealing a
veiled similarity between the characters, the
ordinary "imperfect beings", of Mahfouz and
those exotic, alien characters of Burton.

10. It will also provide an explanation of what
these characters learned from their adventures,
mainly with supernatural forces, that tested
their true faiths and eventually affected their
salvation.

11. It will finally reveal the work of Mahfouz as
an accurate portrait of the ugliness of
corruption, which is exactly the underlying
message of Shahrazad to her dominating
king in Burton's.

12. In this pursuit, I will use the help of two
important articles:
Abu-Haidar, J. A. "Naguib Mahfouz: The Pursuit of Meaning."
HaidarBulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 59.2
(1996): 349-352.
El-Shamy, Hasan. "A "Motif Index of Alf Laylah wa Laylah": Its
Relevance to the Study of Culture, Society, the." Journal of
Arabic Literature 36.3 (2005): 235-268.

13. Thanks for listening