Trans/formation of the Arab Novel: Patterns, Narrative Strategies and Literary Landscapes

The universal category of Bildungsroman and several patterns articulated in it can be useful in understanding the shaping of the XXth-century Egyptian novel. In particular, I will focus on patterns of "crisis," " loss of illusions," and "awakening novel” in the work of Latifa Zayyat. The focus will be on themes such as the thwarted quest for love, the struggle for personal fulfillment, and the desire to achieve cultural modernity often felt as "other than self."

Maria Elena Paniconi is an Associate Professor in Arabic Literature at the University of Macerata, Italy. Her research interests are the Arab Nahḍa, the Novel, and the Memoir in the Modern and Contemporary Arab world. She has written about nahḍawī writers and genres in the Journal of Arabic Literature, Kervan, Annali di Ca' Foscari, and Oriente Moderno. She translated into Italian the 1935 novel Adīb by Tāhā Ḥusayn.

The seminar will be chaired by Tania al Saadi.

To attendees from outside the Department: Please pre-register with Jaqueline Berndt (jberndt@su.se).