العُدولُ في شِعرِ ابنِ المُعتزّ

This dissertation is a theoretical and applied study of the phenomenon of rhetorical deviation (al-ʿudūl) in the poetry of ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muʿtazz, one of the prominent poets of the Abbasid era. As no prior studies on this topic have been found, we aim to construct a comprehensive theoretical understanding of al-ʿudūl within classical rhetorical criticism and modern rhetorical theories. This will enable us to analyze the artistic and literary factors that make al-ʿudūl a distinctive feature of Ibn al-Muʿtazz's poetry. The structure of this study comprises an introduction, a prelude, four chapters, and a conclusion presenting the research findings. The introduction outlines the significance and objectives of the study. The prelude establishes the conceptual framework of al-ʿudūl, defining its terminology and criteria for deviation from the norm. The first chapter provides a biographical account of the poet, his historical context, his diverse poetic themes, and the linguistic characteristics that shape his poetry. The second chapter examines al-ʿudūl in imagery within Ibn al-Muʿtazz's poetry, focusing on simile, metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche. The third chapter explores the rhetorical and aesthetic effects of al-ʿudūl in the structural composition of Ibn al-Muʿtazz's poetry, addressing aspects such as word order (precedence and delay), declarative and interrogative structures, shifts in perspective (iltifāt), omission, conjunction and disjunction, and deviation from standard linguistic forms. This chapter also discusses lexical variation in his poetry. The fourth chapter analyzes rhythmic al-ʿudūl in Ibn al-Muʿtazz's poetry, examining its metrical patterns, rhyme schemes, and poetic necessities. It also explores rhetorical embellishments, including antithesis, paronomasia, contrast, repetition, rhyme embellishment (taṣrīʿ), and symmetrical division (taqsīm), assessing their role in shaping poetic vision and their artistic and aesthetic impact. The study concludes with a summary of the key findings and is followed by a bibliography of sources and references.