Manifestation of Closed Place in Hamid Mahmood Ibrahim al-Hijri’s Novels: Literary Analysis

Abstract

Place is one of the keys to the reading strategy of critical discourse. It is one of the main axes around which literary theory in general and the novel in particular revolve. However, it has only recently been studied in Arabic criticism, despite its constant and effective presence in literary works in general. Place in the novel varies according to the form, size, space, and the function it performs, some of which are narrow and closed, while others are open and wide, they are forms of reality that have been transferred to the novel and have become one of its basic elements, as it interacts with the characters within the novel and helps to form them intellectually, psychologically, and emotionally. The research aims to reveal the manifestations of the closed place in the four studied novels of Al-Hijri to identify its characteristics, creative process, and impact on the characters' movements, feelings, and emotions. The research is limited to the closed place and not the open place for the artistic signs that characterize this type of place in the studied novels to give another opportunity to study open places. This research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach and uses the views of Russian formalists in the study of the novels. The findings of the study showed that closed places in the studied novels emerged in both optional and forced forms. In the optional closed place, the movement and movement of the character is reduced with some social violence as in the room, the house, the car, and the airplane. As for the forced confinement, the character is forced and prevented from the outside world completely, and feels distress, torment, sadness, and pain from the monitored party, such as the prison and the hospital. The research revealed that the place in the novels was strongly linked to the character, as it made a strong contribution to drawing its dimensions participated in the activation of events, and also worked to interpret the behavior of the character.