An analysis of the starting scene of the novel "Al-Las va Al-Kelab" by Najib Mahfouz

The opening of a novel is a window to enter the world of the fiction and to follow its events and happenings. In this regard, the beginning scene of the story and the way it is processed are the first elements that provide a complete overview of the narration of the story. The artistic processing of this part of the story is a technique through which preliminary information is communicated about the theme of the story and the relationship of the starting scene with the rest of the novel is understood. The plot is formed in the continuation of the narrative. The starting scene of the novel AL-Las va AL-Kelab begins in a way that provides the reader with the elementary clues of the general narrative. Later, through the creation of suspense in the early actions of the story, the reader is encouraged to follow the fictional actions. This is achieved via various techniques, including the choice of ironical words in the title of the novel, the inclusion of realistic and believable scenery, the use of a combinational pattern in introducing the characters and mysterious propositions with negative implications in the beginning of the novel. Applying a descriptive-analytical method, the present study aims at the analytical reading of the starting scene of Al-Las va Al-Kelab by Najib Mahfouz. The results suggest the writer's skill to successfully process this section of the novel.