Medieval Arabic Literature between History and Psychology: Gustave von Grunebaum’s Approach to Literary Criticism

Abstract

This paper deals with Gustave von Grunebaum’s approach to literary criticism. The topic accounts for his reputation within the scientific community of Near Eastern studies. In this article, I am only interested in Grunebaum’s understanding of medieval Arabic literature. Since Grunebaum was a prolific author, I have to focus on a small selection of his writings. I shall argue that Grunebaum’s contribution to the understanding of medieval Arabic literature is the contribution of a historian rather than that of a literary critic.