Applying the historical metafiction approach to the novel “Sane Azzlam” by Tamer Ibrahim

Applying the historical metafiction approach to the novel “Sane Azzlam” by Tamer Ibrahim



Mahmoodreza tavakoli mohamadi, Department of Arabic language and literature, farhangian university, p.o.box14665-889. Tehan, iran.



Introduction

Postmodernism should be considered a dramatic and revolutionary development that took place in the second half of the twentieth century in Europe and was influenced by the prevailing political and social conditions, and entered the world of humanities, arts and literature and had a significant impact on writers.This influence on Western literature led to the formation of many literary works known as postmodern literature, of which the novel's share was very significant, and it followed that postmodern critique also found its way into the world of literature and art. meta-fiction can be considered as one of the most important features of postmodern literature, so much so that it has even been called a new postmodern achievement in the field of literature. The novel "Sane azzlam" written by the contemporary Egyptian novelist, Tamer Ibrahim, is one of the postmodern novels written in the horror genre, and by using postmodern elements and the historiographical metanarrative method, he has been able to present to the reader a work that is predominantly existential. and by entering the history and mixing it with the story, it broke the boundaries between the story and the history. Based on this, the present research aims to answer the following questions by examining the mentioned novel: 1. What are the most important postmodernist components of the novel Sane al-Esbam? 2. Which characteristics have caused the meta-historical aspect of this work to prevail over its other postmodern components?

Methodology

One of the most important features of postmodern literature is its meta-fictional aspect. The reason this style of writing is known as metanarrative is that the author of metanarratives, unlike the writers of previous stories, not only does not try to hide himself and show the real storytelling process, but also tries to make the reader Familiarize the unrealityof the story and do so by playing with traditional storytelling techniques. The main difference between meta-fiction and earlier storytelling methods lies in how the storyteller deals with the elements of storytelling. The novel “Sane Azzlam” by the contemporary Egyptian novelist Tamer Ibrahim is considered one of the works that was able to use elements of postmodernism, especially the narrative style of historical metafiction, in creating the events of the novel. He created a new world of contemporary novel writing, by mixing fantasy and reality in the context of the events. Historical and in the horror genre, to present it to the reader. Based on this, the current research aims to analyze the components of postmodernism and the special narrative approach of the novel Sane Azzlam, based on the theory of historical metafiction in a descriptive and analytical manner.

Results and Discussion

The most important features of Kid al-nisa's novel can be mentioned as follows:

1. The narrator's explicit reference to storytelling

In the non-fiction style of storytelling, the author tries to figure out the events of the story in such a way that the reader does not doubt the reality of those events and for this reason, the author hides himself and his presence in the story. However, in postmodern literature and the meta-fiction writing style, explicitly stating that the author's work is at the heart of the work is one of the earliest meta-fiction tricks that the author may rely on in his story. In his novel, Tamer Ibrahim repeatedly enters the text of the story and talks to the reader and introduces him to the next events of the story, thus emphasizing the fakeness of his story.

2. The presence of the author in the story and the conversation with the reader

The author's entry into the story and his direct conversation with the reader can be considered one of the main differences between postmodern stories and the way the story was written before; Because before this stage, the author did his best to hide behind the characters of the story and in this way, to assure the reader that his story is real.

3. The passing of time and the collapse of historical time

In the novel Sane al-Esbaam, this issue is seen in a very wide way and in all chapters of the story. Yusuf, who is the main character of the story, appears in different times. He is present in the time of the Phoenicians, the prehistoric era, in Hungary during the Elizabethan period and during the Ottoman wars with Europe.

4. Denying the finality of history

The author of the metafiction allows himself to interfere in the historical events and present a different interpretation of them than what the history has stated. By placing real and fictional historical characters together in the text of his novel, Tamer Ebrahim has challenged the objectivity of history.

Conclusion

The results obtained showed that the novel " Sane Azzlam" used components such as the presence of the author in the text, mixing fiction with reality in history, historical time intervals, introducing historical characters into the novel and seeking to change their nature, function and uncertainty. The End is this novel considered a completely post-modern novel, and Tamer Ibrahim has challenged time and historical boundaries in his work with this narrative style.

Keywords: postmodernism, historical metafiction, contemporary Arabic novel, Tamer Ibrahim, Sane Azzlam.