This study begins with an Introduction which first discusses the surviving sources for the subject (together with the list of those which have bee... n lost), and then presents a survey of the transmission of early Abbasid poetry, including the poetry by women. Attention is given to the dispute between the traditionalist and modernist schools of poetry in the early Abbasid era, and the part played by woment in this controversy. Chapter II includes a discussion of the historical bakground to...

This study begins with an Introduction which first discusses the surviving sources for the subject (together with the list of those which have bee... n lost), and then presents a survey of the transmission of early Abbasid poetry, including the poetry by women. Attention is given to the dispute between the traditionalist and modernist schools of poetry in the early Abbasid era, and the part played by woment in this controversy. Chapter II includes a discussion of the historical bakground to early Arabic literature and the place of women in it, and in particular their role in both private and public literary majalis. Attention is then focused on women writers within the ambit of the Abbaside court, both free (usually members of the Abbasid family) and salve-girls. Chapter III gives biographies, reconstructed as for as possible from scattered information in medieval writers, of 33 poetesses. The correct forms of their names have been investigated, and errors of identification made by earlier writers have been analysed. These are presented, together with discussions of questions of attribution and critical evaluations of the surviving works of each poetess. Chapter IV presents critically edited texts of all the surviving works by poetesses from the early Abbasid court. In most cases the text which can be assumed to be nearest in time to its authors has been used as a basis, and has been provided with an introduction and an identification of its metre, as well as critical apparatus which includes variants in wording, metrical errors, verbal and grammatical errors and suggested emendations where appropriate. A short Chapter on conclusions is followed by a bibliography which includes reference works consulted, manuscripts, medieval Arabic works and modern works in Arabic and other languages