Arabic Literature

Abstract

Abstract Language is considered as one of the outstanding interactive means of human beings to transmit mental concepts. The analysis this infinite collection of symbols that are manifested in the form of words is one of the concerns in literature and linguistics. Cognitive semantics is one of the approaches dealing with language and can be used to find out a reliable relation between language, outside experiences, thoughts, and social experiences. Comprehending and analyzing the application of pictorial schemes is one of the fundamental issues in cognitive semantics. Through such an approach, we can arrive at a valid interpretation of the abstract concepts of the language of a text and at an understanding of the cognitive structure the writer of that text. This research tries to find out the frequency and application of pictorial schemes in Sohran Sepehri and Khalil Hawi’s poetry. Most of Sepehri’s poetry is a combination of different beliefs in Islamic mysticism and Eastern religions like Buddhism, which are juxtaposed in the most harmonious way. His verses can be considered as mysticism expressed in today’s language. Khalil Hawi’s verses also manifest different beliefs of Western and Eastern philosophy. His poems not only incorporate issues and conflicts of his country, but describe mental concepts which are difficult to comprehend. This research seeks to determine what the role of pictorial schemes in the poems of these poets is, and how their theoretical concepts affect the frequency and application of the pictorial schemes. The findings show that Sepehri’s practice of painting, the mystical concepts of his poems, and his poetical loneliness cause “body schemes” to have the most frequency in his verses. On the other hand, because of the thought disorder and the melancholy governing Khalil Hawi’s verses, “power schemes,” all of which express failure in the social activities, are frequently seen in his poetry.

Abstract Identified as a social process, language is used for the creation of meaning and bears ideological connotations across its different layers, while it is employed through interactions with power relations. Poetic language serves as a fertile ground for linguistic and stylistic analyses. Given that stylistics is the study of methods with which meaning is created in literature and other texts through language, studying the function of linguistic patterns is an efficient method for stylistic analysis. Based on critical discourse analysis, discourse semiology, and functional linguistics, this study undertakes the stylistic analysis of Amal Donqol’s “A Special Interview with Noah’s Son.” It argues that the poet has taken up poetic discourse as a social weapon, has selected microlayers of “lexicon,” “syntax,” and “rhetoric” in association with the macrolayers of “ideology,” “power,” and “situational context,” and has personified the infrastructures, in order to tackle the political-economic crisis resulting from the Camp David Accords. The stylistic indicators of his poetry (diction, marked syntactical structures, and rhetorical figures) are discourse-oriented structures that bear ideological content, and according to power relations, lead to the highlighting of the discourse of the friend and the marginalization of that of the foe. Donqol’s attitude towards sociopolitical issues of his country is reflected in his stylistic features, such as choice of words as social signifiers, social indexing, modality in syntactic structures, grammatical voice of the text, along with rhetorical figures such as metaphor, allegory, symbolism, derision and repetition. And these are utilized to express the ideology of resistance against enemies and rejection of the current situation of Egypt and fighting against the policies of the then ruler, Anwar Sadat. Accordingly, this poem is a sociopolitical reading; its poetic language serves as a social action, and its text both makes and is made of social relationships, wherein the poet, considering his own ideology and that of the ruling power, portrays his beliefs by selecting different styles of expression.

Abstract Folk beliefs are among the most important elements of imagery in poetry. Folklore is like a mirror which reflects the spiritual characteristics of a nation and their background through proverbs, stories, myths, songs, and customs. Poets sometimes portray these beliefs so beautifully and delicately in order to elevate their poetry. The poets of the Abbasid era such as Mutanabbi, Sharif Razi, and Mahyar Deilami have been able to enrich and beautify their poetry through the common knowledge of that time and combining them with folk beliefs. The mastery of the poets of the Abbasid third era over their culture, their frequent use of proverbs and slang terms, and their use of ancient mythological culture, beliefs, and customs have let folklore culture into their works. The frequent use of beliefs in their poetry shows their realistic view towards life and their close relationship with their audience regarding social issues. Employing a descriptive-analytical method, an attempt has been made here to study folklore beliefs in the poetry of Mutanabbi. It will be easier to understand the poetry of Mutanabbi if we learn about the folk beliefs and the culture of his time. The results of this study show that Mutanabbi has been successful to enrich his poems by employing many of these folk beliefs. It also argues that his use of these beliefs not only did not diminish the value of his poetry, but also added to its rhetorical beauty. Moreover, the reflection of these beliefs in his poems reveals his collectivism.

Abstract It has been more than a century since psychological analysis was considered as a science. Freud laid the foundations of psychoanalysis and his students developed this knowledge. Considering the high capacity of literature, the connection of this knowledge with psychology is noteworthy. Abdoul Rahman Munif’s novels are valuable and outstanding works of Arabic literature that can be examined through modern analytical and critical methods in order to explain and interpret their hidden aspects. For this purpose, the present article adopts individual and collective psychoanalysis and prominent psychological concepts to study his novel Al-Nahayat. Al-Nahayat is one of the well-known and influential novels in Arab countries, in which Munif criticizes the circumstances of his society. In the current study, the characters are analyzed with reference to psychological complications and traumas such as fear, anxiety, melancholy, and insanity. Concepts such as Mother Nature, totem, taboo, nostalgia, and defense mechanism are also explored. However, the analysis of the psychological aspects of characters such as Assaf and the people of Tybeh village and their humanism is of primary importance. Assaf reflects the unpleasant social, cultural, and economic atmosphere of Tybeh village. In fact, he conveys to the reader the problems that the people of this community are dealing with and reflects their unfavorable situation in the form of a character in the novel. The results of the study of Munif’s novel from a psychological point of view show that the internal conflict and the constant battle between life and death are among the most important issues that Munif has dealt with. In his novel, he tries to show the disorder, social chaos, poverty and misery of people and considers Assaf’s death as a factor in changing the current situation.

Abstract One of the main features of contemporary Arabic poetry is its use of mythology to express social concepts and depict socio-political heterogeneity. Greek mythology is one of the best vehicles for this purpose; that is why it is frequently used by contemporary poets. One of such myths is Ulysses which holds a prominent status among outstanding contemporary Arab poets. Samih al-Qasim (1939-2014), the contemporary Palestinian poet, and Adonis (1930- ), the contemporary Syrian poet, are among them. In light of the attention of the above-mentioned poets given to Ulysses and its central role in conveying desired concepts, this paper aims to study their reading of Ulysses; first, Samih al-Qasim’s, and then, Adonis’ are separately analyzed and compared to Ulysses with its ancient aspect, and then their approach toward the original Greek myth is evaluated. In conclusion, while paying attention to the original myth, the reading of the above-mentioned poets of the myth will be compared to each other. The importance of such research lies in its discovery of the main concerns of these poets which consequently leads to a more accurate and more appropriate understanding of contemporary Arabic poetry. By comparing and analyzing the text of these poems, it can be argued that both poets, under the influence of the Greek myth and inspired by its mythological narrative, turn toward mythologization. Through defamiliarization and introducing novel experiences to the narrative, they depict the heterogeneous status of their individual and social lives in a literary style and offer it to the reader. The most important topics discussed by the two poets include an endeavor to achieve a lost identity, offering loyalty to contemporary Penelope, a hope for resurrection, and finally an emphasis on the need for change and evolution in the Arab society.

Abstract Postmodernism refers to a wide range of opinions that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century. The Day of the Assassination of the President by Naguib Mahfouz, a contemporary Egyptian novelist, is an example of a postmodernist novel and a metanarrative that seeks to encompass the historical atmosphere of Egypt in its story. In spite of containing manifestations of realism and reflecting some contemporary Egyptian realities, this novel is imaginative in essence. Thus, the purpose of this study is to study the novel as postmodernist fiction and a metanarrative. The findings of the research indicate that, influenced by the school of postmodernism, Naguib Mahfouz seeks to describe the anxieties and bewilderment of contemporary man and his civil disobedience against the current conditions, so that others hear his voice through his fiction. Among the various components of postmodernism, he makes use of paradox, uncertainty, intertextuality, and short circuit more frequently. Intertextuality is particularly evident in the eloquent speech of Mohtashami Zayed because of his exemplary faith. Short circuit is another significant component that is used by Mahfouz when narrating historical events. And incoherence and uncertainty can be seen in every part of the novel. Naguib Mahfouz’s works are the mirror of the Egyptian society since time, place, and historical characters in his story are more eminent compared to fictional characters. Using various postmodern components, he attempts to describe and criticize the inappropriate social, economic, and political conditions of the Egyptian society indirectly, and consequently depicts the organic connection between literature and society and crystallizes social disorders through this genre. By selecting postmodern components, he can illustrate the incompetency of the rulers and the unpleasant socio-economic conditions of Egypt, specifically the issue of poverty.

Abstract Locale is one of the most important elements of poetry. In resistance literature, places have different semantic functions, depending on the emotions of the writer towards those places. These places are sometimes reminiscent of nostalgic childhood memories and a relief from the current pain and alienation, and sometimes express the poet’s intense interest in or hatred for the characters or events that are related to these places. Because resistance poets reflect the actual events of their lives and societies, and as they themselves have deeply felt the difficulties of resisting oppression and tyranny and have faced the difficulties of exile and persecution, the element of locale is prominent in their poetry. Yahya al-Samawi, a contemporary Iraqi poet, was one of the pioneers of Arabic poetry and one of the members of the Intifada in southern Iraq against the Baathist regime in 1991. Since then, as a result of his political stance, he has lived far from his homeland in exile. His experiences during the Iraqi Baath regime and his emigration followed by the occupation of Iraq by Americans led al-Samawi to pay special attention to Iraq and its cities. Therefore, the element of place is of great importance in his poetry. He consciously makes use of places in his poems to express different feelings such as love, homesickness, hatred, and praise, to recall his good memories and heal his pains, and to resist the oppressors and liberate his homeland. Therefore, this paper adopts a descriptive-analytical method to examine this element and its implications in his poetry.

Abstract Modern and ancient Persian and Arab poets, due to the different literary atmosphere of their works and their different personal tastes, have adopted different approaches to the myth of ancient Iran, Zoroastrianism. Thus, their references to this myth and the consequences of such references can be addressed through a comparative study. The myth of Zoroaster is not often present in the poetry of ancient Persian or Arab poets who usually use mythological concepts for purposes such as showing off their knowledge of sciences, expressing religious experiences, exaggeration in praise of someone, expressing their thoughts, or as a figure of speech, and thus have limited the semantic potentials of this myth. However, some contemporary Arab poets, inspired by the German poet and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, use this myth to achieve an element for political and social struggles and awaken their nations. In this way, the people rise up against the oppression and corruption of the society. Contemporary Arab poets have created a wide range of meanings through this myth, linking modern experiences with the ancient experiences of millions of people. On the contrary, what is left of this myth in the memory of Persian-speaking poets is different; Zoroaster sometimes equals the Prophet Ibrahim and sometimes is depicted as a fraud or fire worshiper. The purpose of this article is to study the myth of Zoroaster in the poetry of Persian and Arab poets, in light of the American school of comparative literature to show what the symbolic thought of Persian and Arab poets about this myth was and for what purpose each of these poets used this myth in their poetry.

Abstract Jahez is one of the Arab writers who in his works paid special attention to Iranians, Iranian customs, and the Sassanid kings in such a way that it can be easily understood that Iranian culture is respectable and sometimes superior to Arabic culture in his opinion. Jahez clearly admits that the Arabs learned the religion and politics from the Iranians. To him the extent and standard of the correctness is determined by the kings, which is why he says at the beginning of many of his arguments, “It is the morality of the kings that...” or “it is not permissible for the kings that...” or “It is right of the kings that...” In this article, his views regarding Iranians and Sassanid kings including their customs, codes of clothing, table manners, and parties are discussed. At the beginning of each chapter of his book Jahez first gives a general explanation about the topic that is going to be discusses and then mentions the views of Iranians and Sassanid kings on that subject and then goes to the Arab caliphs who in fact imitate the rituals and customs of the Sassanid kings. This style of writing clearly shows the influence of Iranian culture on Arabic culture, especially in matters belonging to Iranian tradition, such as the celebration of Mehregan and Nowruz, the ritual of veiling, and court ceremonies, which have no history in the Islamic Caliphate. And many of the unknown customs of the Sassanid government can be recognized from the common rituals and customs in the Abbasid caliphate, and thus Taj fills in the gaps of the Pahlavi texts that have disappeared.