نشریه نقد ادب معاصر عربی
پیاپی 12 (بهار و تابستان 1396)

Discussion of women and their rights was started in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, following the 1919 Revolution. The issue of women, who are emotionally the most beautiful and the most subtle element of the society, among all other matters relating to human and society, has always been associated with increasing complexity and has given a certain charm to literature. Youssef Idris is a great Egyptian novelist. Much of his writing is done in a fictional world with the three elements of God, sex and domination. The concept of “Woman” is close to reality in his novels, and it reveals a relatively realistic picture of her face. This study aims to analyze the picture and place of women in Yusuf Idris’s story by an analytical-descriptive method. The study focuses on the fact that the women are useful for Yusuf Idris innovation and, in most cases; they are accused or make mistakes in the stories. In other words, their face is quite negatively projected. Sometimes, they are portrayed by the face of the devil, which is unfaithful and villainous, atrocious and cruel, petty or contemptible or pitiable. However, by scrutinizing some of the stories, we find Idris believed that the cause of chaotic situations was the problems of the Egyptian society. This group of women is imaged by Idris as a doctor for community diseases. Certainly, there are learned and cultured women in Egyptian society as well.

Due to their symbolic characters, myths have been used by poets as the best tool to unravel their thoughts. Herein, the myth of Tamuz has been the focus of attention more than other myths by contemporary poets. The reason for this should be investigated in the chaotic situation of Arab societies which were entangled in the whirlpool of retardation and despotism. Among the poets in this field, one can refer to Khalil Havi and Abdolvahab Bayati who, in spite of application of Tamuz in line with stimulating Arabic nations, had some differences from each other. In this study, in addition to investigating the Tamuz myth in poems of these two poets through a comparative-analytic method the authors compare the ways of application and the aim of invoking this myth by these poets. The results of the survey demonstrate that Tamuz has been used in Bayaty’s poetry more frequently than in HAVI’S. Also, the ways that Bayaty uses this character are more varied than those by Havi. On the other hand, the atmospheres in which the two poets create this character are tangibly different from each other. The difference is that Khalil Havi makes a disappointing and one-dimensional ambience dominant on his poetry while the poetry of Bayaty is distinct by the dialectic of desperation and hope.

The novel (the Thief and the Dogs), the literary work of Najib Mahfouz, similar to his other works, is one of the best world’s contemporary literary works. Its structure and narrative style can be compared to the structural framework of the French prominent structural linguist and narratologist, Claude Bremond. He suggested we should take a look at the logical sequence of several functions as a basic unit instead of taking functions in Prop's meaning as minimal narration units. Therefore, the stories which cannot be evaluated in Prop's structural pattern can be evaluated easier. The current research, using a descriptive-analytic method, reveals that many of Najib Mahfouz’ current story telling methods in the mentioned novel is in harmony with Claude Bremond’s structural framework. The novel including specific structural and analytic characteristics such as the failure of the main character, namely, Saeed Mehran, at the end of the story, faces some ambiguities which not only get solved through Bremond’s structural framework but also become meaningful and justifiable. It is due to the fact that Bremond’s theory considers the duality of functions which makes it possible for the story champion to be put in any of the two functions. Thus, there exists the possibility of both success and failure for the champion, and this lets one analyze such stories. This novel includes three functions: possibility, process, and consequence. Narratively, the novel includes coherent and meaningful sequences, and a variety of simple, mixed, and chain sequences can be extracted from the novel. This issue indicates the author’s outstanding talent and his great creativity.

In the twentieth century, philosophic views on life and human conditions found a special place in literature and literary works. This has been proved through the existentialist approach. Many writers around the world started to advocate the existentialism school as it was introduced. One of them was George Salem, contemporary Syrian writer and liberator. In this study, we have discussed the formation of existentialism and its relation to literature and analyzed the existentialist nature of the novel Fi-Almanfa. One of the results of this research is that this novel is an existential work because one can see existential themes like human's loneliness, crushing of his freedom in the society, being doomed to extinction, flinching from responsibility and awareness, and becoming an object. The author tries to depict a society with such traits as well as protests against its defects to set the readers in thinking. Also, the plot, theme and symbols are existential. The characters in this novel are very similar to those in other existential novels.

This paper discusses Ironies as used in the ode ‘Tanvimatul jeya’. Irony, as a literary figure and a rhetorical device, is used as a device of creating tension in a text. Generally, it is a figure that a writer or a poet considers with a meaning in contradiction with the apparent meaning of the expression. Irony is used in a variety of literary works. In this study, Irony has been presented in the form of satire. Satire is a style of encountering human and society, including grin, and aims to correct the community and make it aware. Javahery, as one of the most influential poets in Iraq, based on a sociological approach, completely understands the corruption and injustice in his community and takes steps to correct it. With His reverse statements in ‘Tanvimatul jeya’ ode, he portrays the chaotic situation in his society and sleepy nation, hoping to create thought liberation. Also, with his expressive statements and artful interpretations, he seeks to reach his social ideals.

One of the techniques in writing novels is multi-voice technique, which is considered as a connection between classical and realistic novels. The origin of this technique of novel writing can be traced in American and European literature. In contemporary Arabic literature‚ many multi-voice novels have emerged. This story writing style has a considerable impact on the contemporary Syrian realistic writer‚ Nassif. He is one of the authors who has used this narrative style in his novels. In this research, we intend to review two of Nassif’s novels focusing on the structural features of those multi-voice novels (i.e. lack of consistency of discourse ‚ conversation, and language variety). In the course of this review ‚ we will explain the content and the theme of the stories. The results show what multi-voice form characterizes these two novels and how the writer depicts the current phenomenal events in the Middle East by using this narrative technique from the viewpoints of different people. So, it can be said that the method of the study is descriptive-analytical.

Logotherapy is defined as therapy in terms of meaning, healing in terms of meaning, or psychotherapy focused on meaning. It is a psychological school named after Victor Frankel, a Vienna university nerves specialist and philosophy and psychiatry professor.
This study, conducted in terms of positivism and using a descriptive-analytical method, aims to compare the foundations of logotherapy regarding the famous Arab poet Badr Shaker Al-Sayab in his ode “Sefr-e-Ayyoob”. This ode is one of the most beautiful and memorable poems of Sayab which was written at the time of saying goodbye to the life and going away from his home. He describes his mood, taking Saint Ayyoob`s (pbuh) personality. The studies indicate that seizing the time is a significant principle shared by both Sayab and Frankel. Faith and trust in God is also a common ground of their thinking. Absolute faith, remaining happy in the face of illnesses and physical difficulties, patience to life accidents and trials and submission to God`s will are the indications of logotherapy and positivist psychology in Sayab`s ode, many of which include today’s psychological paradigms for meaningfulness of life.

During the 42-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, due to political and social factors as well as the tyranny and censorship prevailing in the Libyan society, Libyan poets turned to icons to express their emotions and ideas. Ali Al-Fazani, a Libyan iconist poet, used symbols and icons to show his viewpoints and ideas regarding social and political issues. These symbols are categorized in five different groups including religious (Jesus Christ, Joseph, and Cain), traditional (Sindbad, and Shahrzad, the story teller), mythical (Sizief), heroic (Che Guara), and natural. In Al-Fazani’s poems, Jesus Christ is the symbol of pain and self-sacrifice, Joseph is the sign of resistance and self persistence towards chastity, Cain is the symbol of insolence and insurrection, Sizief is the icon of human pain and inability to opposed power, Shahrzad is the sign of knowledge and love, Sindbad is the icon of travel and ambition, and Che Guara is the icon of revolutionary warrior. The study of this symbolic language shows Al-Fazani’s low desire to apply positive symbols which are associated with hope. Instead, the dominance often belongs to linguistic elements that have negative connotations. The renowned symbolic meanings are sometimes avoided, and the poet resorts to de-familiarization of symbols. In this study, we have analyzed all the signs and symbols in Al-Fazani’s collection of poems according to a descriptive-analytical approach.

Science fiction is one of the literary genres that was raised in the field of prose literature. This genre challenges science and scientific progress and encourages speculation about the future and fate of humanity by making predictions. One of the main issues of the genre is Utopia and dystopia. The idea of creating a utopia has attracted the attention of scholars dating back to Plato about two thousand five hundred years ago. He was the one who founded the idea of utopia, and, for centuries, it was believed that scientific advances would push people closer to utopia. However, after the world wars, some scholars suspected the future of homosapiens. Aldous Huxley was the first to pay attention to the ridiculed scientific utopia and science in his book ‘Utopia’. According to the science, cities are not Utopian. Although they have access to knowledge and scientific progress, achieving knowledge would be a misfortune for humanity because human beings kill each other. Tawfiq al-Hakim was the first author who started to write in this area. Among his works in this genre, one can mention If only youth knew, Journey to Tomorrow, and In the Year Million. While trying to investigate Utopia and Dystopia in some of Tawfigh’s science-fictional works, the researchers used a descriptive-analytical approach. It is finally found that Tawfiq al-Hakim does not see any bright future for scientific progress.

Uras”, one of the important and everlasting contemporary Arabic poems written by Ahmed Abdel Muti Hijazi, focuses on the successive failure of Arabs and portrays their infinite regression. It is also felt to be inspired by the Algerian Revolution when making today’s generation resurrect and revolt. In the poem, the poet offers the audience a compassionate overview of what has happened to Arab nations, how they got far from their primary glory and grandeur, and how these were wrecked. According to the poet, it is worthwhile for Eastern countries to take a pattern from the revolution of Algerian people to defend their rights get their countries back from blood suckers. In the light of the importance and high place of the poem, this study is to analyze and criticize it stylistically at three levels: intellectual, literary and linguistic. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the paper evaluates the beauties of the text in terms of composition, texture, rhythm, arrangement of letters, verbal tricks, and so on. As a result, the intellectual prominence of people may lead to their focus on their submission and lost esteem and submission so as to take the Algerian revolution as an example of how to get out crises. The poet has expressed these concepts by using important literary devices such as oxymoron, symbolism, synesthesia, defamiliarization, and intertextuality as well as some linguistic structures that are in close integration with the concepts.