Western literary forms permanently transformed Middle Eastern literary languages

Evidence

The Westernization of art was paralleled in literature, though at a slower pace and at a later date. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, traditional literary forms were neglected, except among some diehard circles with limited impact. In their place came new forms and ideas from the West—the novel and the short story, replacing the traditional tale and apologue; the essay and the newspaper article, and new forms and themes that have transformed modern poetry among all the peoples of the region. Even the language in which modern literature is written has, in all the countries of the region, been extensively and irreversibly changed under the influence of Western discourse. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1140

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

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