The Impact of One Thousand And One Nights on Western Romance Stories. The Story of Tristan and Isolt Is an Example

Objectives: This research is concerned with demonstrating the impact of the ancient Arabic narrative structure on Western love stories. To demonstrate the areas of convergence and divergence in the fundamental and eternal idea of love, as writers expressed it in their arts in varying ways, and they met in expressing it in some axes, which leads to exploring Western civilization’s dialogue with the stories of One Thousand and One Nights in Western love stories. Methods: The research considered that the optimal threshold for comparison is to determine the impact of Arabic literature on Western literature, and to explain the term “romance.” Then, taking the stories of One Thousand and One Nights as a reference text, we show, through comparison between it and one of the love stories known to Westerners - which is the story of Tristan and Aizult - the points of similarity and difference between them, adopting the approach of intertextuality to clarify the features of the cultural impact of the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. In Western stories. Results: The West’s contact with the East had an impact on the new concept of love in European literature. The book One Thousand and One Nights is considered one of the most influential books in Western romances, including the story of Tristan and Iseult. The research showed the possible Arabic origins of this story through textual comparison, as well as between the most prominent features. The cultural impact of One Thousand and One Nights. Conclusion: The book One Thousand and One Nights had an impact on changing some Western literary concepts, including the concept of romance, and this influence was clear in Western romances. Recommendations: The research recommends paying attention to comparative studies and rooting literary concepts and their roots to demonstrate the points of convergence between cultures and the role of Arabs in civilizational interaction.