NOVEL “LAHW AL-ABALISAH” BY SOHAIR AL-MOSADFA, STUDY IN GUTTER REALISM | ||
| Faculty of Arts Journal, Arish University | ||
| Volume 3, Issue 4, December 2024 | ||
| Document Type: Researches | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/faau.2024.421754.1011 | ||
| Author | ||
| Sohair M. Hassanen* | ||
| Dept. Literary Studies, Fac. Dar al-ulum, Minia Univ., Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| This research examines Lahw al-Abalisah (The Devils’ Amusement) by the Egyptian novelist Soheir Al-Mosadfa, analyzing it through the lens of “Gutter Realism”—a literary current that gained prominence in the United States during the 1980s, where it found fertile ground. The term gutter became associated with this trend because its writers descend to the lowest strata of society to expose its absurdities and problems. In its theoretical framework, the study discusses the concept of realism, offering definitions and outlining its various forms, such as critical realism, socialist realism, and gutter realism. It also examines the historical and socio-cultural conditions experienced by European society that contributed to the emergence of realism in the nineteenth century, as well as the pivotal role of authors such as (Balzac, Émile Zola, and Stendhal) in laying its foundations. The research also addresses the tension between idealism and realism, then turns to the theory of reflection and - Madame de Staël’s - contributions as the aesthetic philosophy underpinning realism. In the applied section, the study investigates the representation of gutter spaces, the manifestations of violence within such spaces, and the use of the fantastic as a means of transcending and overcoming reality. The research draws upon the works of several prominent Arab critics—such as (Mohamed Mandour, Ghoneimi Helal, Abdel-Moneim Tallima, Louis Awad, Salah Fadl, and Mohamed Hassan Abdullah) —as well as Western thinkers, including (Balzac, Émile Zola, René Wellek, and Georgy Gachev). | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Novel; “Lahw Al-Abalisah”; Realism; Gutter Realism; Representations of Space | ||
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