Poetics of Love in the Arabic Novel : Nation-state, Modernity and Tradition

Considers the Arabic novel within the triangle of the nation-state, modernity and tradition.The novel is now a major genre in the Arabic literary field; this book explores the development of the novel, especially the ways in which the genre engages with aesthetics, ethics and politics in a cross-cultural context and from a transnational perspective.It takes love and desire as the central tropes through which the Arabic novel tells the tale of its search for form in a world mapped by conflicting ideas. As it falls in love with the nation-state, the Arabic novel flirts with modernity and lives uncomfortably with tradition. The love triangle it creates is at once an expression of its will to participate in the politics, its interrogation of ethics of storytelling, and its search for new aesthetics. The story of the Arabic novel is presented as a series of failed, illegitimate love affairs, all tainted by its suspicion of the legitimacy of the nation, modernity and tradition, and above all by its misgiving about its own propriety.Keywords: The Arabic novel; Nation and nationalism; Arabic poetics of love; Modernity and modernisation; Politics of desire; Poetics of space; Women and cartography of nation; Identity; Intertexutality; Naguib Mahfouz/Najib Mahfuz; Ghassan Kanafani; Ibrahim Nasrallah; Emil Habiby; Jamal al-Ghitani/Gamal Ghitany; Ali Mubarak; Muhammad al-Muwaylihi; Badr Shakir al-Sayyab; Khalil Hawi; Salah'Abd al-Sabur; Arabian Nights; Maqamat; Khitat. Tells The Story Of The Arab Novel's Search For Form. The Novel Is Now A Major Genre In The Arabic Literary Field. This Book Explores Its Development, Especially The Ways In Which The Genre Engages With Aesthetics, Ethics And Politics In A Cross-cultural Context And From A Transnational Perspective. It Takes Love And Desire As The Central Tropes Through Which The Arabic Novel Tells The Tale Of Its Search For Form In A World Mapped By Conflicting Ideas. As It Falls In Love With The Nation-state, The Arabic Novel Flirts With Modernity And Lives Uncomfortably With Tradition. The Love Triangle It Creates Is At Once An Expression Of Its Will To Participate In The Politics, Its Interrogation Of Ethics Of Storytelling And Its Search For New Aesthetics. The Story Of The Arabic Novel Is Presented As A Series Of Failed, Illegitimate Love Affairs, All Tainted By Its Suspicion Of The Legitimacy Of The Nation, Modernity And Tradition, And Above All By Its Misgiving About Its Own Propriety--publisher's Description, P. [4] Of Dust Jacket. Prologue: Presenting The Past: The Arabic Novel And The Dialectics Of Modernisation -- Nation-state -- Nation-without-state -- Legitimacy Of The Nation -- Impropriety Of The State -- Decolonisation -- Modernisation -- Afterword: The Future Is A Foreign Country. Wen-chin Ouyang. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 276-290) And Index. The Arabic novel has emerged as a major genre in the Arabic literary field since the second half of the twentieth century. Gaber Asfour, a major Egyptian intellectual and critic, has termed the turn of the twenty-first century 'the age of the novel' in Arab culture. This book tells the story of the Arabic novel's search for form, taking stock of the ways in which the form and identity politics of this genre engage with aesthetics, ethics and politics in a cross-cultural context and from a transnational perspective. To date scholarship on the Arabic novel has been preoccupied with postcolonial or nationalist discourses on identity and culture. This book extends our understanding of the genre by moving beyond this approach to consider the Arabic novel within the triangle of the nation-state, modernity and tradition. It shows the ways in which the Arabic novel has taken shape in the intercultural exchanges between East and West, and past and present. It takes the love story as the central trope through which the Arabic novel tells the tale of its search for form in a world mapped by conflicting ideas. This tale is presented as a series of failed, illegitimate love affairs, all tainted by its suspicion of the legitimacy of the nation, modernity and tradition, and above all by its misgivings about its own propriety Considers the Arabic novel within the triangle of the nation-state, modernity and traditionWen-Chin Ouyang explores the development of the Arabic novel, especially the ways in it engages with aesthetics, ethics and politics in a cross-cultural context and from a transnational perspective.Taking love and desire as the central tropes , the story of the Arabic novel is presented as a series of failed, illegitimate love affairs, all tainted by its suspicion of the legitimacy of the nation, modernity and tradition and, above all, by its misgiving about its own propriety.Authors studied include Naguib Mahfouz; Ghassan Kanafani; Ibrahim Nasrallah; Emil Habiby; Jamal al-Ghitani; Ali Mubarak, Muhammad al-Muwaylihi, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, Khalil Hawi and Salah 'Abd al-SaburWorks studied include Arabian Nights and MaqamatAddresses issues such as nation & nationalism, Arabic poetics of love, modernity & modernisation; the politics of desire, the poetics of space, women & cartography of nation, identity and intertexutality. This work considers the Arabic novel within the triangle of the nation- state, modernity and tradition. Wen-Chin Ouyang explores the development of the Arabic novel, especially the ways in which it engages with aesthetics, ethics and politics in a cross-cultural context and from a transnational perspective. Taking love and desire as the central tropes, the story of the Arabic novel is presented as a series of failed, illegitimate love affairs, all tainted by its suspicion of the legitimacy of the nation, modernity and tradition and, above all, by its misgiving about its own propriety Cover 1 Copyright 3 CONTENTS 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6 Prologue PRESENTING THE PAST: THE ARABIC NOVEL AND THE DIALECTICS OF MODERNISATION 8 PART I Mapping the Nation: Place, Space, Text 42 Chapter 1 NATION-STATE 44 Chapter 2 NATION-WITHOUT-STATE 79 PART II Love: Legitimacy of the Nation, Authenticity of the Novel 124 Chapter 3 LEGITIMACY OF THE NATION 126 Chapter 4 IMPROPRIETY OF THE STATE 166 PART III Desire: Arab Experiences of Modernity 196 Chapter Five DECOLONISATION 198 Chapter 6 MODERNISATION 243 Afterword THE FUTURE IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY 280 BIBLIOGRAPHY 283 INDEX 298