The Verbal Gauntlet showcases a pair of eighth-century Arab poets who verbally battled to elevate their own prestige, just as modern-day rappers do. The book offers a new interpretation of Arabic invective poetry that informs the way we understand the genre.

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction  1 Naqāʾiḍ and “The Naqāʾiḍ”  2 Performance 1 The Performance: Jarīr, al-Farazdaq, and the Naqāʾiḍ  1 Performance Aspects of the Naqāʾiḍ  2 Naqāʾiḍ Passages 2 The Stage: Mirbad Market  1 Introduction  2 Style and Content of the Naqāʾiḍ  3 “Emergence” of Social Structure  4 Conclusion 3 The Process: Jarīr and al-Farazdaq’s “Collusion”  1 Introduction  2 Stock Devices  3 Conclusion 4 The Goal: Winning Over the Audience  1 Introduction  2 Managing Poetic Image  3 Gaining Poetic Prestige  4 Conclusion Appendix1: Jarīr and al-Farazdaq’s Naqāʾiḍ Corpus Appendix2: Jarīr and al-Farazdaq’s Qaṣīda Structure Appendix3: Quoted Passages Appendix4: Naqāʾiḍ Poems Bibliography Index