The confrontation of tradition and modernity in Naguib Mahfouz's Qasr El-Shauq

At the end of the 18th century, following the Napoleonic invasion, Egypt got familiar with modern European civilization. This familiarity paved the way for the confrontation of "tradition" and "modernity". The reflection of social, political and cultural developments of this confrontation can be observed in Egypt's modern fiction. Naguib Mahfouz’sQasr El-Shauqis a story that can be scanned for the consequences of the struggle between tradition and modernity. Conflict of patriarchy and women's rights in the society, crisis of identity and intellectualperplexity, orientation to the West, freedom and conflict of science and religionare the consequences that are addressed in this study. Kamaal’s spiritual contradictions, that appearas a contrast betweenthe middle class and the aristocracy, wisdom and love, the real world and ideas, as well as European science and Islam, are the result of opposition of tyranny and colonialism in Egypt. Moral perversion and nihilism are the negative consequences of this opposition in the life of intellectuals. Orientation to the West postulates Kamaal in a limbo between tradition and modernity. European science seeks to replace traditional religious ideas, and it has partly succeeded. Enhancement of freedom and women's rights is the positive result of modernity in Qasr El-Shauq versusBayn El-qasrain.