The body and the bayān in Ǧāḥiẓ ’s Kitāb al-bayān wa-l-tabyīn

In Kitāb al-bayān wa-l-tabyīn, considered the first work of Arabic rhetoric, Ǧāḥiẓ proposes an anthology, a rhetoric, an oratorical art, and a theory of communication. A close study of texts dealing with this theory of communication reveals the constant presence of the lexicon of the body. How is the body present in the bayān? In what ways is the bayān embodied? And what are the theoretical implications of this embodiment of the bayān?