The problem of taste in ancient Arabic criticism

Abstract

The notion of taste is different in Arabic literary criticism from what it is in western literary criticism. In the Arab tradition it means long practice and training and mastery, not those first impressions with which the critics begins his task only to leave them behind as he progresses through the following phases of his critical endeavour. This has an impact on our understanding of the attitudes of contemporary Arab researchers who have tried to copy the western notion of taste and project it onto ancient critical opinion and old texts as well. This article attempts to reconsider this practice which has been accepted in the context of scientific research in the field.