Challenging Conventions: Love, Lovers, and Beloveds in Early Modern Ottoman Poetry

This book closes this gap by investigating ʿışḳ in different genres and contexts. Whereas the terms ḥubb and maḥabbet point to comfort and care, the term ʿışḳ denotes passionate love; often laced with mystical connotations. Through this lens we show that Ottoman lyrical realities transgressed the rules, burgeoning beyond conventional settings and giving voice to vivid creativity. Large parts of urban society indulged in poetry and thereby challenged certain norms.