The Role of Orality in Classical Arabic Literary Criticism: A systematic Literature review

Abstract

This systematic literature review explores the role of orality in classical Arabic literary criticism about the transmission, interpretation, and preservation of texts. Through a close reading of the scholarship produced between 2000 and 2023, what follows is an argument that maintains oral traditions of Arabic literature as integral to written forms. It shows how orality has been highly instrumental in developing religious texts, such as the Quran, and how orality could sustain cultural identity through oral poetry, folklore, and the different usages of Arabic dialects. Underlined by the reviewed author, qualitative methodologies dominate this area of scholarship and provide profound insights into the details of orality. At the same time, the possibility of exploring broader patterns is limited. These findings particularly encourage more diversified approaches, both quantitative and interdisciplinary, that could add to the improvement of understanding. This review generally contributes to the ongoing academic discourse by showing orality's persisting influence on classical Arabic literature and its evolving modern role within digital contexts.