As I told Dr. Kennedy this morning, I wanted to see Arabic influences in the description of Camilla’s tomb in Eneas. While this may or may not be reaching, the description of the elaborate jewels and materials used to create the tomb, as well as the exotic fabrics adorning Camilla in death seem to have an Arabic flair to them. In fact, they reminded me much of the elaborate descriptions we have already encountered (time and time again) in Arabian Nights, not only in the actual physical detail, but also in the over-the-top rendering of the tomb. This brings to mind a reading from last week– it may have been one of the first chapters of Menocal– that talked of Arab culture as being characterized as over-the-top, the very definition of excess, and recalling Arabian Nights illustrates this concept.
More interesting, to steal from Dr. K, is that this Arabic-influenced scene is […]
Original post by jordan