Transcendence and Storytelling in Moroccan Folk Narrative: al-Ḥubb yafʿal al-muʿjizāt (Love Works Marvels)

Abstract

The present article analyzes the Moroccan folktale al-Ḥubb yafʿal al-muʿjizāt (Love Works Marvels), as edited by folklorist Yusrī Shākir in his Ḥikāyāt min al-fūklūr al-Maghribī (Tales from Moroccan Folklore) (1978–2010). Unaccounted for in the ATU Index, it belongs to 909§ in El-Shamy’s Types of the Folktale in the Arab World (2004), Taming the Disgruntled Husband is Like Taming a Lion . However, its thematic and poetic development distinguishes it from other versions. I argue that the significance of this difference lies in the tale’s parallel structure and employment of narrative dialogue. I then engage theories of orality and storytelling to conclude that Love Works Marvels envisions narration as the medium of community in and beyond the tale by drawing on tradition.