The Study of Narrative Speed in Al-zaman al-Mouhesh Based on the Theory of Gerald Brints

Al-zaman al-Mouhesh written by Heydar Heydar portrays the values and traditions of Syrian society. It depicts characters who, in terms of being cut off from past traditions, have become desperate, defeated, incapacitated, atheist, and nihilistic, features which are far from revolutionary characteristics. This article examines the speed of narration in the novel based on the narrative theory of Gerald J. Prince. The objective is to examine the relationship between the time of the novel - measured by seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years - with the length of the story text measured by rows, pages, and paragraphs. Although the exact fictional time within which the novel is set is not acknowledged, it takes place within a three-year time span. There is not correlationship between temporal and causal elements in this novel. The unity of place and the main character (narrator) are the elements that give the novel its unity. As the novel feature no orderly beginning and ending, everything is simulteanously intertwined and irrelevant. Likewise, events are scattered. This novel deviates from traditional motifs and techniques including a concern about human beings, ancient Arab relations in the form and context of the narrative, and temporal and spatial structures. The narrative speed of the novel can be analyzed in five main categories. This study suggests that the author has made maximum use of techniques such as interplay between scenes, the phenomenon of alternation and assurance through narrative deceleration.