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This dissertation studies Irving's The Alhambra as a whole literary work. The first chapter, "The Spanish Background of Irving's Work," illustrates Irving's extensive knowledge of Spanish and Arabic culture and history. It also shows that his interest in Islamic history, which started at an early age, resulted in his writing The Alhambra as well as The Conquest of Granada and Mohammet and His Successors.
The second chapter, "Sources and Analogues of The Alhambra," studies the various sources for the book. Here, the book is divided into three main sections according to the subjects presented in it: (a) Personal Experiences and Historical Details, (b) Legends of the Alhambra, and (c) Oriental Literature. Sketches dealing with his personal experiences are drawn from his notebooks, which were written during his ramblings in Granada; historical details related to the palace and the Arabs are borrowed from Spanish and Arabic books. The legends of the Alhambra, however, are told to Irving by peasants living in and around the palace. This chapter shows the depth of Irving's borrowing from Oriental literature, especially The Holy Qu'ran and The Arabian Nights.
Chapter three, "Structure and Major Motifs," examines Iriving's revision of the book in 1850. The chapter also reviews the three major parts of the book: (a) The Journey and Spanish Character, (b) The Palace: Its History, Occupants, and Legends, and (c) Irving's Farewell to Granada.
Chapter four, "Irving's Literary Technique in The Alhambra," discusses the book's romanticism, setting, local color, characters, plot, language (including the incorporation of Arabic and Spanish language), themes, narrative, humor, and morality. This discussion shows how Irving skillfully blends all these to produce an original narrative combining history and fiction.
Chapter five, "The Importance of The Alhambra: The Palace and the Book," shows how The Alhambra, the book as well as the palace, symbolizes and celebrates important social and moral values that Irving found in the Islamic civilization, and which he missed in his nineteenth-century America. This chapter shows the social and literary significance of the book to the Spanish, the Arabs, the Americans, and to Irving himself.