Current Criticism
"These stories suggest a world view in which each human reveals a divine plan, in which taking a wrong turn might actually fulfill one's destiny...as a result of themes such as these that [Thoughsand and One Nights] has become a staple of young adult literature."
~Michael Meyers
The Arabian Nights has been an important part of Middle Eastern culture for centuries. But European critics have not always regarded the work highly. Most authors did not even accept it as art until recently. Viewed as having very little literary merit, they were seen as nice ways to pass the time, or shunned altogether because of the immoral beliefs of the Arabian characters. However, the poets during the Romantic period received the works whole-heartedly. Goethe, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Poe were given inspiration by these stories. Later it gripped the European society's imagination with tales of the sensual East.
Now, the works have received serious anaylsis under the eyes of critics. They hail the narrative, which is primarily derived of dialect, rather than the imagery that many works have consisted of. The tale has been given merit based on the messages that it portrays. The psychological analysis point out that the tales can subconsciously influence the destructive thinking of someone and turn it into passive thoughts. Many scholars have started to research the beginnings of this tale, fascinated with the concepts it illustrates. The Thousand and One Arabian Nights stands as a superb literary work, and one of the oldest pieces of literature that the world knows.