Textual Fragmentation and Dispersion in Alive in the Dead Sea

This article examines textual fragmentation and dispersion in Muʼnis Razzāz’s Alive in the Dead Sea (1997). It can be suggested that the novel’s fragmented textually refers to a chaotic and disorganized society, a fragmentation that can be observed at textual, temporal, spatial, character, and resolution of conflict levels. In the novel the author provides an atmosphere characterized with doubt, uncertainty, lack of faith and logic to strip classic texts of their realist and logical color. Accordingly, the novel’s fragmented textually is a democratic attempt not only to reflect dissonance and disorder but also to violate all rational and realistic principles so as to achieve borderless and infinite freedom, and confusion. As such, the novel narrates a new story based on nightmares and dreams that are indispensable to modern life. Here, Razzāz attempts to showcase the chaos and absurdity of contemporary life through textual fragmentation and confusion that generates multiple narrative levels.