We have now examined the role of the addressee in sixteen essays or anthologies by al- Jāḥiẓ, along with some mention of his other texts that follow similar patterns. Simply discussing these highly varied and inventive introductory sections in close proximity to one another ought to be enough to show that the letter frame is something more for this author than a conventional topos of essay writing. It should also be obvious that the manner in which the addressees are portrayed in many of them is hardly that of an author whose purpose is to acknowledge and thank a patron. Even when we find deference and praise toward one addressee or good-natured cajoling of another that might reflect the author's relationship with a highly placed individual who supported him, these dynamics contribute to the thematic development of the essay, and the perspective of a broader readership is kept in view. In all its permutations, the letter frame for al- Jāḥiẓ is a complex and versatile device meant to influence the reception of his texts by a reading public.

Through close readings of these introductions and the lines of argument that flow from them, I have tried to give some idea of the different ways in which these epistolary conversations are meant to shape and direct the reading experience of the audience al- Jāḥiẓ anticipated for each text. The first three chapters of this book are organised around basic patterns I have discerned in the course of my study of al- Jāḥiẓ's introductions. In the fourth and fifth chapters I venture analyses of two elaborate epistolary sections of K. al-Bukhalāʾ which I believe are vital to understanding the author's purpose in that book.

Chapter 1 is concerned with the roles of addressees in relation to certain dilemmas an author inevitably faces in electing to write on a given topic. When the author stresses the need to articulate and defend his own views, the very existence of that need will either betray the possibility of weakness in his own positions in relation to those he is attempting to counter or presuppose some deficiency in the understanding of his audience.