Spatial Representations in the Novels of Khudair Faleh Al-Zaidy
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Abstract
This research examines and analyzes "spatial representations" in the novels of the Iraqi writer Khudair Faleh Al-Zaidy, starting from the premise that place in his texts transcends its traditional function as a framework for events to become an active structural element and a generator of meaning. The research aims to reveal how the narrative space is transformed into an arena for psychological, social, and existential conflicts, and the manifestations of this through exploring the dialectical relationship between "self" and "other" within diverse spatial frameworks.
The research adopts a critical analytical approach, deconstructing the spatial structures in several of Al-Zaidy's novels, focusing on different types of places such as open and closed spaces, and hostile and familiar spaces. The research concludes that Al-Zaidy employs these spaces as narrative tools to reveal crises of identity, the breakdown of belonging, and the fracturing of the relationship between the individual and their environment. The research also demonstrates that place in al-Zaydi's world is not merely a physical entity, but a symbolic structure imbued with a history of violence, memory, and forced transformations, making it a mirror of contemporary Iraqi reality and a testament to the human experience in confronting its destiny.
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