Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature
Young Naguib Mahfouz
This course provides an introduction to the development of modern Arabic literature from the 19th century to the present. By exploring nationalism, decolonization, modernity, and encounters with the West, the course also hopes to provide some historical context to the developments and innovations of Arab writers—like the Nahda (renaissance), poetic trends, and the genesis of the Arab novel. We will examine works from a variety of Arab countries, including novels, short stories, and poetry. One aim of the course is to give students a foundational knowledge of the most representative 19th and 20th-century Arabic literary works. Another is to allow students to become familiar with the techniques and tendencies of modern literary analysis and critique. The ultimate objective is to have students engage with the texts with an eye toward the aesthetic, such as social realism, modernism, etc.
Nahrain Al-Mousawi 