The aspect of the tales of that makes them unique in Arabic literature is that they are set amongst the low-downs of Arabian society; from the honest labourers to the robbers, swindlers and crooks. Virtually all other Arabic literature concerns the lofty and well-to-do.
The professional story teller, or hakawati, would perform his act in the coffee houses and market places of the near east. Jokes and action would be emphasised. The story tellers, of a very low social status, would often borrow their books from lending libraries and commit them to memory, before disseminating them to their largely illiterate audience. Poetry was given a very high status as an art form, and large amounts were committed to memory as a matter of course in Arabian society.