The Novelistic Blog in the Works of Abdul Rahman Munif: A Study of the Horizons of the Referential Imaginary and the Aesthetics of Narrative Construction

Abstract

This research examines contemporary critical readings that have engaged with the narrative corpus of Abdul Rahman Munif, seeking to explore the mechanisms of the referential imaginary in its historical, political, and aesthetic manifestations. The study's significance stems from its attempt to identify methodological differences in approaching Munif's novels, beginning with deconstructing the problematic relationship between historical documents and narrative structure in the novel "Land of Darkness" as read by Saeed Al-Ghanmi and Adnan Al-Shuraim, where the schism in discourse between historical reality and fictional narrative is examined. The research also moves to analyze representations of the self, political consciousness, and the strategy of "open endings" in his other works (such as East of the Mediterranean, The Endings, and Now Here) through the insights of Faisal Darraj and Karim Masoudi. It concludes that Munif succeeded in transforming "realistic references" into an "aesthetic structure" that transcends the monotony of literal representation, moving towards a vision of freedom and democracy. The study finds that the narrative techniques in his literature were not merely artistic embellishments, but rather an objective correlative of his intellectual stance against oppression. It also emphasizes the need to explore the "organic unity" that has been missing in previous studies of his narrative corpus .