Sofia Tartakovskaya- 09/13/2022
I think this interpretation of the Arabian Nights is very engaging, there are many things that keep you drawn in but compared to modern books that everyone understands, this is definitely different. What was mostly hard to follow was all the different changes throughout the text with no character or story development to back it up. For example, when the brothers are randomly by the sea, they see a giant pillar and go to hide in a tree, then they find out it is a demon who captured a woman. The outrageous turn of events that happens quite a few times in the prologue makes it harder to connect to, since that is not the culture we have today. I also found it interesting that the king and men in general think so low of women and marry them just to murder them, but both Shahzaman and his brother were completely heartbroken and rageful after they found out of their woman’s disloyalty, even though he shows no actual value for her life. This just goes to show how there is no genuine care for relationships from some people in power, but more the control and adoration from women. So within all of the randomness and sudden chaotic changes, lies common themes that the average person can go through every day. For example, the concept of preservation and adultery is still common thousands of years later within the modern day world. The thought process may be slightly different, but everyone connects with the text in some way; so readers like to see how others would react. Most people continue to be engaged because they are curious about the storyline as well, personally; I kept wanting to know if the king finally got tired of Dinarzad’s stories and killed her like he said he would at the beginning.
