Learn Persian through Early Classical Persian Prose Syllabus
The course is designed to serve as a general introduction to the Classical Persian language and literature. It will provide tools for reading and analyzing the extensive corpus of the Early Classical Persian prose texts. The method adopted for the current course envisions an in-depth familiarity with the grammatical, lexical, phraseological, stylistic, and literary aspects of the Early Classical Persian language and literature after its completion. During each class, the participants will read, analyze and interpret extensive sections from a selection of significant (Early) Classical Persian texts while discussing questions pertinent to their fields of interest and research. Besides the readings, attention will be paid to various aspects of Classical Persian studies. Thus, a specific topic will be explained in detail almost every day and discussed with the participants. In addition, during some of the classes, the participants will read some of the oldest Persian manuscripts.
Learn Persian through Early Classical Persian Prose
from Oct 30, 2023 to Nov 17, 2023
3 weeks
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Week 1. The Earliest Texts
During this week, students will be introduced to the earliest prose texts that were produced during the mid-10th century; namely, they will read three texts, Muqaddama-yi Šāhnāma-yi Abu-Mansuri, Tarǰuma-yi Tafsir-i Tabari, and Tarǰuma-yi Tārix-i Tabari. On the first day, an extensive introduction will be given about the linguistic, historical, and literary circumstances in which Early Classical Persian Literature began. In the coming classes, the basic grammatical concepts and features that define ECP will be introduced through practical readings of the texts. During the week, relevant topics such as Early Judeo-Persian language and literature, earliest manuscripts, and early Persian orthography will be discussed. This week, students will be introduced to the relevant scholarly literature and the critical editions of the texts, which will help them work independently on those texts after completing the course.