Parody in ancient critical tradition

Abstract

This study examines parody in classical Arabic critical heritage as an artistic and critical phenomenon associated with opposition, imitation, satire, and indirect criticism in Arabic literature. The study aims to explore the conceptual and artistic foundations of parody, identify its manifestations in classical Arabic poetry and critical discourse, and clarify its social and intellectual dimensions as well as its impact on the development of Arabic literary criticism. The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach by tracing manifestations of parody in literary texts and classical works of criticism and rhetoric, while analyzing its artistic structure and expressive mechanisms based on irony, intertextuality, exaggeration, and stylistic transformation. The study concludes that parody constituted an effective critical tool in Arabic heritage, contributing to the evaluation of literary and social phenomena, revealing an early critical awareness of textual interaction among literary works, and participating in the development of aesthetic and critical perspectives in classical Arabic literature.

The research demonstrates that ancient Arab critics possessed a clear awareness of the nature of textual interaction, as evidenced by their discussions on borrowing, imitation, and the skillful adaptation of meanings. It reveals that parody relied on a complex artistic structure rooted in irony, intertextuality, exaggeration, and stylistic transformation. The study shows that the genre of *naqa'id* (poetic contests/invective exchanges) represented one of the most prominent forms of parody in classical Arabic poetry. Furthermore, it uncovers that satire within the Arab tradition was not merely intended to provoke laughter; rather, it served critical, social, and cultural functions. Parody contributed to the development of Arabic critical discourse by prompting a re-examination of concepts such as creativity, imitation, and rhetoric.