Topic: Recent Developments in the Contemporary Arabic Novel
Question:
In this course, we have tracked the waning and waxing allegiance to social and political commitment in the Arabic novel and how this sense of commitment is expressed (or avoided) through realism, surrealism, irony, biography, and the writings of Arab women.
Now, in the last two weeks of class, we are reading two recently published novels: The Tent (1996) by Miral al-Tahawy and The Corpse Washer (2010) by Sinan Antoon. Both of these works are in dialogue with earlier tendencies, theories, and individual exemplars of the Arabic novelistic tradition; they incorporate some aspects of this tradition while they reject others according to the literary vision of their authors. What aspects of the Arabic novelistic tradition do these two novels embrace and what aspects do they eschew? How do these two novels reflect different authorial concerns, and how do the authors work with and modify the literary models they’ve inherited in order to respond to these concerns? Would you say that these two novels reflect different tendencies in the Arabic novelistic tradition, or are the thematic, mechanical, and aesthetic differences between the two purely superficial? In short, what is the literary historical context of these two novels, how do they reflect upon this context, how are they divergent expressions of the novelistic tradition, and why?
Caveat:
The questions above are deliberately vague. My hope is for you to place these two novels within the context of the other novels that we’ve read this semester and to reflect on how they are a part of the Arabic novelistic tradition. With this in mind, please refer back to the other novels and secondary readings we’ve encountered in this class in the body of your paper. There’s a lot to talk about and I think you’ll find that eight pages go quickly, so please choose your references carefully. Every thought and citation should be meaningful.
Mechanics:
- Your paper must be 8-pages long. Short papers will be subject to a subtraction of points.
- Your paper must be double spaced, 1 inch margins on all sides, using the Times font, size 12.
- When citing sources, please adhere to the MLA format (generally used for the liberal arts and humanities). Scroll down towards the bottom of the website to find the rules for in-text citation. You’ll use in-text citation whenever you cite a primary or secondary source. Note: the in-text citation is followed by punctuation; example: “quote” (Name, page number). You must include a bibliography of sources at the end of your paper; refer to the top of the MLA site for the different bibliographical formats for different types of media (print book, journal article, e-book etc.).
Research:
As in previous papers for this class, I would like you to approach this assignment as a modest research assignment. In addition to citing the novels and the secondary sources that we’ve read in this class, please refer to at least two other secondary sources that address aspects of the Arabic novel relevant to your paper. As per the previous assignment, I would suggest taking a look at the following:
- The books on reserve for this course in the Davis Family Library (circulation desk).
- General reference: Julie Meisami & Paul Starkey, Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature (in the reference section of the Davis Family Library, in-library use only).
- Available holdings, Davis Family Library: Modern Arabic Literature in section PJ7500
- Literary journals (accessible online through the Davis Family Library website):
Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics
- Online resources:
Banipal (online journal of modern Arabic literature, including translations)
Arablit (blog dedicated to the discussion and analysis of Arabic literature)
Cornell Arabic Literature Resources (site with many links to other excellent online resources)
Arab Women Writers (blog dedicated to Arab women writers)
Process:
Step 1
For Wednesday’s class (12/9), write an outline of your paper according to following the template:
(for more writing resources, including the source of the paper structure template, click here)
For evidence, please provide all of the citations you plan on using to buttress individual arguments that you make.
Note: Leave blank the field with the questions: “Does the next paragraph build directly on the one before? How?” This question will be answered by one of your colleagues in class on Wednesday.
Please email me your outline before class on Wednesday 12/9, and bring a hard copy of your outline to class for peer review.
Step 2
If you wish to meet with me before submitting your final draft, I’ll be happy to meet with you on one of the following days: Thursday 12/10, Friday 12/11, or Tuesday 12/15. We can set up an appointment through email. If you do make an appointment to meet with me, please send me a draft of your paper the day before our meeting so that I can be ready with some feedback.
Step 3
Email me your completed paper by Friday 12/18, 12:00 pm. Since this is the last paper, the paper you send to me on this date will be your final draft – no revisions.