Nahḍah Oratory: Western Rhetoric in al-Shartūnī's Manual on the Art of the Orator1

Abstract

The Arab Renaissance (nahḍah) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries represents one of the most crucial periods in the development of Arabic literature and culture. Leading nahḍah reformists such as Buṭrus al-Bustānī and Muḥammad ‘Abduh believed that, in order to progress, Arabs needed to not only revive classical Arab culture but also assimilate achievements of western civilization. Many of their close associates developed a keen interest in European languages and literature, and translated and adapted western works. One discipline of particular interest to these intellectuals was oratory. This article examines Sa‘īd al-Shartūnī's manual on the art of the orator known as al-Ghuṣn al-raṭīb. An analysis of this work reveals it as a pioneering attempt in the nahḍah to fill a lacuna in available Arabic works on oratory by assimilating western rhetoric into the Arab literary perception.