Defining Metapoesis in the 'Abbasid Age

This article explores the definition of the term meta-poetic and its application to the poetry of the 'Abbasid age, focusing on short compositions and excerpts in which poets explicitly voice their critical opinions on poetry. The cultural milieu of the period and the debates and issues that surrounded 'Abbasid poetry necessarily influenced poets and their creative processes. 'Abbasid poets wrote for an ideal reader/critic not only qualified to appreciate their innovations but also capable of placing their contributions in the continuum of the tradition they were writing against, bringing the relationship with the literary past to the forefront of the poet's concerns.