This volume discusses Mamluk historical texts with an emphasis on literary/stylistic analysis, basically ignoring issues of 'factuality' versus 'fictivity'. None of the authors set out to write 'fiction'; nor would their audience have received their accounts as such. The events depicted were a matter of historical record; but their meaning was geared both to contemporary and to general concerns. The fact of telling them is part and parcel of the historian's task; the means of telling them has to do with the historian's choice of style; and style is all-important in conveying meaning. Were these accounts not considered 'true', the purpose behind their telling and the meaning they convey, would, arguably, be lost; but were they not told in the most effective manner, their meaning might not be clearly grasped.

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It was never the authors’ intention to write fiction, nor would their audiences have perceived their narratives as such. The events depicted were a matter of historical record, with significance in both contemporary and general terms, although audiences were already aware of the outcomes of these events. Effectively recounting such events makes up a large part of a historian’s task. There is heavy reliance on the historian’s choice of style, which is paramount to conveying a particular meaning. Had these narratives not been considered true, the meaning and purpose behind them would arguably have been lost. Had they not been told in the most effective way possible, their meaning might not have been clearly grasped.

This volume discusses Mamluk historical texts, placing emphasis on literary and stylistic analysis, whilst essentially disregarding issues of ‘factuality’ versus ‘fiction’.