Arabic Literature

A Postcolonial Study of The Algerian Trilogy (The Big House, The Fire, and The Loom) by Mohammed Dib

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Kamal Baghjari

Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, College of Farabi, University of Tehran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jalit.2019.277064.612039
Abstract
The Algerian Trilogy by Mohammed Dib, a renowned Algerian writer, is one of the most recognized literary works of the contemporary literature of his country. It provides the reader with an objective perspective of the Algerian society in the years leading up to the Independence. In each of the novels, the writer focuses on one aspect of the life in the society. He gives the reader a viewpoint of the consequences of the French colonialism in everyday living status of the Algerians in cities, the countryside, and the industrial section in The Big House, The Fire, and The Loom respectively. In order to answer the critical questions pertaining to the postcolonial elements of the novels, this research extracts and analyzes the key concepts of postcolonial theory and criticism reflected in them. Furthermore, it attempts to evaluate the specific mechanisms used by the author to develop a postcolonial image. Thus, the article sets to study the novels’ multiple narrative and its impact on the embodiment of colonial and postcolonial atmosphere in Algeria, the power relations between the master and the slave under French colonialism, the colonial double-standard policies, resistance, and internalized racism. By doing so, it demonstrates that The Algerian Trilogy, with its multi-level narrative and naturalistic approach, challenges the false, superficial message of colonialism as to bringing civilization and modernity to Algeria, and reveals the true negative side of French colonialism. It argues that the master/ slave dichotomy is present in many scenes of all three novels, categorizing the characters into two groups: the dominant and the subaltern. Yet, some of the characters show conscious resistance by their focus on local elements of the Algerian culture and by their display of interest in Arabic language. In other words, the writer goes beyond the stereotype of sheer defiance and portrays cultural and linguistic resistance.

Keywords

Postcolonial Criticism
Mohammed Dib
Algerian Trilogy
The Big House
The Fire
The Loom
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Arabic Literature
Volume 12, Issue 2
Summer 2020
Pages 85-107

  • Receive Date 02 March 2019
  • Revise Date 05 June 2019
  • Accept Date 27 August 2019

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