Observed facts: The preacher delivered an effective speech, recited verses, gathered his belongings, received gifts, and tried to conceal his route.
Still unknown: How did he later use the gifts? Where is he staying? What motivates his secrecy?
An important literary skill is to distinguish what the narrative explicitly shows from what the reader suspects. Maintaining that distinction allows the subsequent discovery to retain its full dramatic force.
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The Ṣanʿāʾ Maqāmah: Worldly Attachment, the Audience’s Gifts, and a Secret Pursuit
Observed facts: The preacher delivered an effective speech, recited verses, gathered his belongings, received gifts, and tried to conceal his route.
Still unknown: How did he later use the gifts? Where is he staying? What motivates his secrecy?
An important literary skill is to distinguish what the narrative explicitly shows from what the reader suspects. Maintaining that distinction allows the subsequent discovery to retain its full dramatic force.