The ancient andalusi precedents of intertextuality and its possible influence over Christian Occident

Arabic medieval literature possesses the singularity of having elaborated an impressive theory on intertextuality and the limits of poetic imitation and appropriation. In this context, Arabic theoreticians considered simultaneously and paradoxically plagiarism (sariqa) as a violation of literary rules and one among other legitimate rhetorical resources for poets. At present, it has not been accounted for their possible ascendant in the construction of medieval poetics of Christianity, though, in the light of certain evidences, a tangential or implicit influence may not be rejected. For this reason, the study of the authors from al-Andalus, and from other border territories, acquires a great interest, as privileged sceneries of these textual intercourses.