“I have many, many editions of the books, and they are all rather different. In the end, the one I used was the most recent French translation. French suits the tales well, and it's a beautiful translation. The Italian one is good as well... English has fallen short.” WellsBookDifferentEndsBeautifulUsedTalesSuitsFallenItalianTranslations Author:Marina Warner
“True to their history, the English are very domineering and have manipulated it in different ways. I wouldn't say that there was an original, but there is a lot of expurgation in some of the Victorian translations, and there's a lot of additional salacious nonsense in some of them, too. I also like the early French one, much-derided for being fanciful but which is actually very elegantly done. It's very big, very capacious.” WayDifferentDoneBigsOriginalsDifferent WaysNonsenseTranslationsVictorian Author:Marina Warner
“I consider it as a foreshadowing of modernity in many different respects, and the consistency of character is interesting to the emerging modern psychology. The emphasis on dream knowledge relates quite deeply to psychoanalysis, although I suppose psychoanalysis wouldn't like to say that... Freud was always saying he was a scientist.” DifferentCharacterDreamInterestingPsychologyModernScientistRelateConsistencyEmphasisEmergingModernityPsychoanalysisForeshadowingModern Psychology Author:Marina Warner
“Many of the enchanted things in the book are lamps, carpets, sofas, gems, brass rings. It is a rather different landscape than the fairy tale landscape of the West. Though we have interiors and palaces, we don't have bustling cities, and there isn't the emphasis on the artisan making things. The ambiance from which they were written was an entirely different one. The Arabian Nights comes out of a huge world of markets and trade. Cairo, Basra, Damascus: trades and skills.” WorldBookDifferentNightCitiesWrittenHugeSkillsTradeWestRingsTalesLandscapeFairyFairy TaleInteriorsEmphasisLampsCarpetPalacesGemsEnchantedBrassSofasArtisansArabianCairoArabian NightsAmbiance Author:Marina Warner
“There is a theory, that I rather subscribe to. The frame story implies that if he doesn't change, she will kill him. It's all very complex and subtle. The story is about a woman who persuades a man in power to a different temper and attitude, and so it is about women's wiles, what women will get up to. She has a plan, she has a scheme.” IfsMenDifferentStoriesAttitudePlansTheoryComplexesGet UpSubtleTemperSchemes Author:Marina Warner
“I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or trialogue, or polylogue: many, many, many voices, going back a long way. The cultural picture is much more mutually enriching at many different levels, manufacturers...absolutely, design and calligraphy. It's an amazing amount of cross-interests between people.” PeopleWayPersonsLongDifferentVoiceInterestLevelsStruggleDesignAmountCrossesBelieverDialogueLong WayFusionDifferent LevelsEnrichingCalligraphy Author:Marina Warner
