نشریه دراسات فی السردانیه العربیه
سال دوم شماره 2 (الربیع و الصیف 2021)

There is a marathon-like race between academic criticism and literary texts as the former attmepts to classify, frame and determine the boundaries of the latter. Yet, the rapid transformation that is taking place at different levels of society upst the majority of frameworks and boundaries. Taking short story as a genre, one is entitled to suggest that freedom is its essential element. It is observable that stories have surpassed all traditional literary conventions in the twenty-first century. For example, modern means of communication such as the Internet, Facebook and others have taken an important role in the field of literary creatation. The Tunisian author Monsef Al-Wahibi, for example, has chosen the category of "Facebook novel" for his Adam's Lover in which we see a Facebook-based communication between a man and woman. Dialogue of Fingers is another particular case in point. Amidst this turbulence of standards, Arabic literature is witnessing innovations and initiatives that are direct or indirect reaction to the events that the Arab world has been going through in this last decade, that is, prior to the so-called "Arab Spring" and the period during which follow it. One these initiatives goes beyond novelistic conventions in that it breaks the chronological order and the historical sequence, and abolishes the boundaries between reality and fantasy, thus entering "science-fiction" as a direct factor in building narratives and developing events. The stream of Utopian and Dystopian of writing should be grounded in this context. This study has selected two particular novels to develop its argument: Utopia (2008) by Ahmed Khaled Tawfiq and Mercury (2015) by Muhammad Rabi. The paper analyzes the narrative technique that transcends the hierarchy of time in narration on the one hand, and creates worlds in which the boundaries between reality and fantasy are blurred on the other hand. Finally, the paper creates a link betwwen the selected case studies and the turbulent political/social situation in the Arab community.

Since its emergence, novel has been concerned with the concept of freedom in relation to society. Kurds, Masters without Horses deals with several concepts such as freedom, imagination, society and identity. The Arabic novel, refusing to be pushed into social margins, has become a safety valve that prevents nations from falling into the pit of oblivion. The novel takes place in a complex world where freedom is the concern and goal of literature and identity is the concern of the writer. In this context, the main question concenrs the challenges of the Arabic novel in relation to identity, freedom and history. Is the novel a cultural necessity for freedom? Is it rooted in a cultural need, without which it is impossible to live? Is this the same anti-historical novel crafted by official institutions under the name of the History of the Utopia which is full of lies? Does the novel have the power to speak of the unspoken history and the power to protect the bridges of dialogue that are getting narrower and narrower every day? This article tries to study the cultural issues presented in novel from a critical framework. The novel is a prime example ethnic identity narration as it relates the pains and sufferings of the Kurds. Despite the language of the novel, which is devoid of poetic overtones and decorations, sometimes it tedious and difficult to understand it. The novel contains an implicit appeal which invites the reader to read the novel up to the end. It is a novel that expresses the fate of a nation and the oppression it has received from other countries. As with the protagonist, readers witness the redefinition of ethnic identity in this novel.

Women writing is experiencing a new phase of creative expression today, whether in terms of quality or quantity, which calls for serious critical studies. However, addressing the literary style of feminist writing is not an easy task in the Arab world considering the lack of critical methodologies in dealing with such issues. In addition, the connection between critical readings and gender identity necessitates vigilance on behalf of th critics especially if a text is analyzed from the point of view of feminist critics who dissociate themselves from male writing.  Is it true that most of men's critical productions of women's literary texts are not devoid of male prejudice? It is the main question this paper tries to answer in terms of examining the following critical issues raised by male critics in the Arab world: gender and writing; breaking sexual taboos; feminist issues; and biographical literature.

This study examins different layers of character presentation in The Coming Man by Abdul Hadi Al-Fartousi, with a particular focus on the heroic features of the protagonist. The analysis of the hero is important for the following reasons:1- The title of the novel and its implications that are identifiable for readers, especially the Iraq ones. In other words, it can be said that the novel imposed. In fact, the title and methodology of this study is inspired by the novel. 2- The novel was written and published before the occupation, that is, at a time when censorship of publications was at its peak, though it was was published in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. 3- The novel has accured several prizes, which proves its significance in academia

Narratology concerns a set of principle about narrative styles, the systems that govern narrative or storytelling, and plot structure. Narration is a kind of two-layered time-sequence: the time of narration and the narrative time. One of the important issues addressed by structuralist theory is the relationship between time and narrative, or crystallization of time within the narrative. Gérard Genette, Vladimir Propp, Grimas, and Tsveton Todorov are pioneers of this structuralist approach, who developed the study of narration in literature. Genet proposed five important narrative elements for analyzing the structures of literary texts: order, anachrony, continuity, frequency and narrative time. Colette El Khoury is prolific writer who has written significant short stories including “The Female Word”, “The Years of Love and War”, and “The Fragrant Dates, My Fingers Will Touch the Sun”. Addressing issues like history and issue of women Colette El Khoury does not follow the natural and linear flow of events. He uses anachronic techniques such as flash back and flash forward to create suspense in her stories. Also, frequency and continuity play an important role in her stories. Such innovative narrative techniques can be used in roder to analyze classic literary text from a new angle.

Within the pasr few decades, psychological criticism has become an integral part of literary criticism, paving the way for a proper understanding literary texts. The analysis of authors’ emotional and psychological condition is of prime significance in this regard. Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology, postulated three levels of human awareness: the preconscious, the conscious, and the unconscious which are tinged with sexual and aggressive impulsesThe psychological make up is composed of the ego, the id, and the super ego which constitute the core of an individual’s personality. The Game of Forgetfulness (1987) is one of the most important novels written by Muhammad Barada and has been subject to numerous studies by scholars from various fields. This paper studies the presentation of grief and psychological conflict in characters’ social relations. The main theme in the novel concerns the psychological condition of some family members after the death of their mother, and the problems and difficulties they meet in the society. A psychological analysis sheds light on their preocupation with depression, grief, psychological conflict, and nostalgia which are symptomatic of Barada’s society. The characters suffer from obsessions, ailments, and anguish caused by disasters and mischeifs

Signs are important tool for conveying messages and consequently meaning in a wide range of dimensions in human life. Semiotics, by deciphering the signs in various phenomena, has has contributed to the explaination and identification of signs in human life. Ebrahim Nasrollah has written numerous literary works which have been warmly received in prestigious festivals and falls. For instance, the writer has won the Arab Poker Prize for Harb al-Kalb al-Thaniyah. This study draws on semiotics in order to examine the representation and classification of non-verbal behavior in this novel. In this fantasy novel, which deals with fear and anxiety, the writer has used semantic fields related to anger, anxiety, fear and surprise. The author has also a special ability in characterization and staging as he uses various elements to create a terrifying and anxious atmosphere.  It is observed that the author has used 135 non-verbal cues in this novel, with replacement and emphasis respectively as the most and least frequent ones. The results indicate that the speaker plays the most important role in conveying the meanings of non-verbal cues. The novelist has used different semantic domains in various situations. Anger and, consequently, shouting is one of the most prominent themes used in this novel. The fear and anxiety about being like each other fills people with hatred. In addition to these cases, Rashid's love for his wife is an insatiable one. In different parts of the story, thinking also has an imprtant role. Surprise is the other element that permeates the novel. It is observed that Nasrallah has a special capabiltity in inviting the audience to read the novel given his ability in characterization and staging.

One of the important elements in the story is the utterances of fictional characters as they illuminate the words, thoughts, and personality of the characters. Utterances are conveyed to readers via narrators, which is subsumed under the rubric of “narrative style” that determines the relationship between the narrator and characters. Adrakha Al-nassian, a realistic novel by the contemporary Jordanian writer Sanaa Al-Shalan, has taken advantage of narrative techniques in relation to characters and events and draws on the five narrative methods in order to depict political atmosphere in Syria. The objective of this descriptive-analytical study is to determine the extent to which Shalaan uses each of these methods in different fictional contexts, as each is used for a specific purpose on behalf the writer. It is observed that the use of narrative methods starts with the dominance of the narrator in the story and ends with the complete domination of characters. Narrative report is often used in the case of observing brevity and avoiding detailed descriptions of events while direct utterance is used in order to explain the psychological and cognitive dimension of characters, depicting their inner feelings in dealing with social realities.

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.

Mashood Mahmood Jimba is a contemporary Arabic literary writers who has contributed tremendously to the development of Arabic literature in Nigeria. He traveled to different countries for  religion, educational and cultural purposes. He documented places, beautiful images, geographical  and living conditions of many countries he visited,  He equally recorded historical, cultural and social lives, and ideas of people during his journeys. This research aimed to reveal the narration techniques in his travels to evaluate the availability of narrative discourse components in his travelogue to access the successful of his method in narrating travel discourse. The researcher used the structural approach with the help of descriptive method .The results of the study shown that, the style of the author is characterized by many narrative techniques, these characteristics includes; the use of open and closed spaces during the course of events, and while narrating the time of events, he employed flashback and flash-forward to create mismatch between story time and narration time. But while narrating the narration time the traveler summarized and delete some events to speed up some events and avoid secondary events that do not contribute to the narrative context. while slow down the narration process he employed descriptive pause and dialogue scene to disrupt the events and give the characters the opportunity to present their feelings and emotions without interruption by the narrator The author combined between Primary and secondary characters, and exposed their Physical, psychological and social dimensions.  He equally convert primary narrator to secondary narrator in some context

Narratology is the result of the expansion of the structuralist schools of the contemporary era. Gérard Genette, a Frenchman, is one of the leading narratologists whose views have attracted the attention of literary scholars. Literary products written for adults are analyzed from a narrative perspective, but less attention is paid to children's stories from this perspective. The implementation of literary theories on children's stories can lead to the recognition of various dimensions of the text of children's stories and reveal their hidden layers. Farashat al-Amirat al-Hamra is a science fiction story written by Egyptian writer Nabil Khalaf in 2004. The present study intends to show Gérard Genette's narrative components in the story of Farashat al-Amirat al-Hamra by a descriptive-analytical method and using library sources. The results of the research have shown that the author has been able to narrate the story impressively, using both inside and outside narrator. The element of time is not linear and timelessness can be seen in some parts of it. In terms of continuity, in 15 episodes of this story, there is a compression of time. The story inspire an emotional environment filled with of joy, sadness and fear in children. After examining the story with a narrative approach, the authors came to the conclusion that the narrative components have been present in the story and the story of Farashat al-Amirat al-Hamra is a fascinating and age-appropriate story for children.

In the Holy Quran, numerous valuable and instructive concepts are presented as stories by God Almighty. As goals and works refer to a single truth, it should be pointed that the stories of the Holy Quran are a selective narration of previous nations with specific purposes. Accordingly, this article tries to open a new window onto the structure and method of Qur'anic stories based on an approach grounded in Shiite interpretations. The paper sets out to examine various dimensions of Qur'anic stories, exploring their aims, structure, and methods of processing. Hence, the elements of Quranic stories are examined base on a descriptive and analytical methodology.   It is suggted that the act of narration in Quranic stories can be divided into past, present and future according to the time of events. Some Qur'anic stories narrate the stories of previous prophets and tribes to reduce the suffering of the Prophet and guide the true believers; some other stories chronicle the events of the present or future of the Prophet's era, describing the stories and events of the Prophet's life with his fellowmen; others foretell maily horrific future events that will occur sooner or later. The structure of Quranic stories, regardless of its fundamental and thematic differences with non-Quranic stories, i.e. the superiority of instructive dimensions in adhering to the elements of storytelling including characterization and element of time/place, enjoys an appealing and special form as it takes advantage of artistic textual elements.