Sir Walter Scott’s Crusades and Other Fantasies by Ibn Warraq (.ePUB)
File Size: 1.7 MB
Sir Walter Scott’s Crusades and Other Fantasies by Ibn Warraq
Requirements: .ePUB reader, 1.7MB
Overview: Literature, History, and Ideology
In this erudite and forceful collection, Ibn Warraq explores how the historical novels of Sir Walter Scott—Ivanhoe and The Talisman in particular—shaped modern conceptions of the Crusades and Islam. Drawing on both Western and Arab sources, Warraq compares Scott’s romanticized portrayals with historical realities, offering a sharp critique of idealizations, especially of Saladin, and the enduring myth of Muslim tolerance.
From Romanticism to Revisionism
The essays weave literary criticism with deep historical research, challenging prevailing academic narratives—especially those popularized by Edward Said and postcolonial theorists. Warraq deconstructs the myth of Islamic pluralism, revisits the often-overlooked persecution of Jews in both Christian and Muslim societies, and critiques the distortion of Crusader history in modern discourse.
Theodore Dalrymple
With his signature wit, humanity, and scholarship, Warraq turns a literary inquiry into a meditation on political and philosophical issues of enduring significance.
Richard L. Rubenstein
Warraq corrects widespread myths with formidable research—from debunking the “Golden Age” of Muslim Spain to highlighting the influence of Scott’s fiction on modern misconceptions. His defense of free expression is especially timely.
Front Page Magazine
Far more than literary criticism, these essays confront false equivalencies between Islam and Christianity, exposing the ideological manipulation of Crusades history. Warraq stands as a fearless intellectual in a climate of moral confusion.
Genre: Non-Fiction > History
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