Younas, A. (2020) Magical realism and metafiction in post-Arab spring literature: narratives of discontent or celebration? British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 47(4), pp. 544-559. (doi: 10.1080/13530194.2018.1520627)
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Abstract
My study is an attempt to examine recent developments in post-Arab Spring fiction by Anglo-Arab immigrant authors. Instead of conforming to the traditional narrative modes and strategies, post-Arab Spring literature provides a bitter evaluation of the so-called Arab Spring and deconstructs the revolutionary rhetoric that heralds a new era for the Arab world by producing a counter-narrative. The selected novels, Karim Alrawi’s Book of Sands and Youssef Rakha’s The Crocodiles, use peculiar strategies to portray the fractured and cryptic realities of the Arab world. Written within the framework of realism, utilizing the literary strategies of postmodern literature, these writers unsettle the boundaries of literary genres and give rise to diverse phenomenal trends in Arab fiction. Using magical realism, Alrawi expands the traditional realist narrative style by blending realist elements with magical. By employing metafiction, Rakha formally exhibits the precarious scenario of the Arab world. Drawing on the theory of Magical Realism and Metafiction, these works are investigated in order to emphasize how this new writing reflects the unstable reality of the Arab Spring. While it is too early to discern the characteristics of Post-Arab Spring literature, my research is a contribution to developing a framework in which to do so.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Younas, Ms Abida |
| Authors: | Younas, A. |
| College/School: | College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures |
| Journal Name: | British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |
| Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
| ISSN: | 1353-0194 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1469-3542 |
| Published Online: | 20 September 2018 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2018 British Society for Middle Eastern Studies |
| First Published: | First published in British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 47(4):544-559 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy |
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