Conflicting Depictions of Female Characters in Mahfouz’s 1966 Novel Adrift on the Nile and Hussein Kamal’s 1971 Film Adaptation Upon reading Naguib Mahfouz’s Adrift on the Nile, and viewing the film of the same title released in 1972, one will undoubtedly notice the stark contrast between the portrayals of women in each of these works. Critics like Ibrahim El- Sheikh and Pamela Allegretto–Diiulio have argued that by realistically depicting the social condition of Egyptian women, Mahfouz’s literature is protesting the country’s patriarchal society and challenging the notion that women are not equal to men. The novel is clearly in line with these criticisms. The women in the novel are depicted as strong, independent, intellectual and on an equal footing with their male counterparts. The film however, deviates wildly from these positive portrayals of women. The women in the film are shown for the most part as vapid sexpots. While Mahfouz did not write the screenplay, he held positions as the Director of Censorship in the Bureau of Art, as Director of the Foundation for the Support of the Cinema, a consultant to the Ministry of Culture, giving him a heavy hand in the final product of the film. Thus is safe to say that Mahfouz sacrificed the feminist message of his novel in the film adaptation, but to what end? The film takes on a more overtly political tone that the novel, yet takes leaps backward in its depiction of women. In his essay, The Role of Naguib Mahfouz in Egyptian Cinema, Hashim al-Nahhas addresses the differences between the novel and cinema as a medium. He asks to what extent a film can be faithful to a text, and he also states that one must ask why and how a filmmaker can transfer a novel to the screen without ... ... middle of paper ... ...hfouz: A Western and Eastern Cage of Female Entrapment. Youngstown, NY: Cambria, 2007. Print. Al-Nahhas, Hashim, and Trevor Le Gassick. "The Role Of Naguib Mahfouz In The Egyptian Cinema." Critical Perspectives on Naguib Mahfouz. 163-173. Washington, DC: Three Continents, 1991. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. Maḥfūẓ, Najīb. Adrift on the Nile. Trans. Frances Liadet. New York: Anchor, 1993. Print. Mikhail, Mona. Seen and Heard: A Century of Arab Women in Literature and Culture. Northampton, MA: Olive Branch, 2004. Print. Mikhail, Mona. Studies in the Short Fiction of Mahfouz and Idris. New York: New York UP, 1992. Print. Moosa, Matti. The Early Novels of Naguib Mahfouz: Images of Modern Egypt. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida, 1994. Print. Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Screen 16.3 (1975): 6-18. Print.
Both el Saadawi and Al-Shaykh both show how perception and expression are both affected within the confines of politics, social opportunities, and male privilege depicted in their stories. Whether the reader is a follower of the feminist movement or not, it is very clear and easy to see that these women are not being treated with the respect that any human being deserves. The misogynistic stranglehold on society, especially in this part of the world, is excessive and avoidable in today’s world but it is very likely that the traditional, conservative ways of the past will continue to control and inhibit women from being able to be fully treated as equals for many years to come, perhaps even after this generation has
In Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, she presents a number of very interesting facts regarding the ways that the sexual imagery of men and women respectively are used in the world of film. One such fact is that of the man as the looker and the female as the looked upon, she argues that the woman is always the object of reifying gaze, not the bearer if it. And “[t]he determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to be connote to-be-looked-at-ness” (487). Mulvey makes the claim that women are presented and primped into this role of “to-be-looked-at-ness”. They are put into films for this purpose and for very little other purposes. However, this argument cannot be incorporated with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; the existence of women in the film is extremely insignificant to an extent that could be considered absent. “In a world ordered by sexual imbalance,” male serves as the dominant figures with which the viewer can identify, women only appear in the film for a very short moment of time. For instance, the appearance of women is only shown when Howard rescues the ill child in the village and his return to the village for hospitality reception...
Writing Women's Worlds is some stories on the Bedouin Egyptian people. In this book, thwe writer Lia Adu-Lughod's stories differ from the conventional ones. While reading, we discover the customs and values of the Bedouin people.
One of the most famous contemporary ethnographic studies of women and gender within Islam is Erika Friedl’s Women of Deh Koh, in which her main concern seems to be providing he...
Throughout the novels of Naguib Mahfouz' Cairo Trilogy, the most noticeable element is the progression of time. In tracing the lives of three generations of the Abd al-Jawad family, Mahfouz manages to structure a chronicle of Egypt during his lifetime that describes not only the lives of the family but the social, political and philosophical change of the entire nation. While it is dangerous to read only for social analysis in Mahfouz' essentially artistic work, the changes in Egypt during the novel make its characters' relationships to a shifting Egypt clear. The character of Kamal is a very intriguing part of this depiction because of his similarity to Mahfouz and the consequent illustration of the changes which seem to have impacted Mahfouz most personally. Kamal can be seen as an essentially autobiographical character as well as a type representing Egyptian philosophical involvement and change between the two World Wars.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton.
In a culture where stereotypes are so common and thrown left and right, it’s not uncommon to hear someone say “That guy looks suspicious” or “You’re such a FOB.” However, we must be careful when it comes to these remarks or stereotypes because we must remember that what we are doing is simply feeding more into a closed minded society and contributing to the derogating of a mixed society. In all three novels, Throne of the Crescent Moon, Anatomy of a Disappearance, and Lebanese Blonde, all three male Arab characters have shown that they go against this grain of the stereotypical Arab male gender/ culture. Whether it’s Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, the ghul hunter in the city of Dhamsawaat, who’s simply trying to rewind after a hard days of work and enjoy his tea; Or Nuri el-Alfi, the young boy with an odd fascination for a woman who becomes his step-mom with a father who can only be described as mysterious; Or Samir Tammouz, the reluctant individual who never quite seemed to fully grasp what he was getting himself into till it was too late. These three Arab male characters in all three novels are distinct in their own way and that’s what separates them from the mainstream stereotypes of the Arab male gender/ culture.
Joyce, James. "Araby." 1914. Literature and Ourselves. Henderson, Gloria, ed. Boston, Longman Press. 2009. 984-988.
Many writers from all over the world have provided a close innovative observation for life through their inspiring writings. As Nawal El Saadawi states in “New Song for Egypt’s Elite”: “what makes revolutionary thought unique is its clarity and dignity, and its clear grasp of freedom and justice: simple, clear words that are understood without the need for any help from elite writers or thinkers’’ (1). Thus, when ideas reflect the realties and truths about societies they become simpler, clearer and more powerful. Many writers have designed stories to portray human life, especially women’s conditions, through the female characters that by their words, their actions, and reactions they can stand as representatives for women’s dilemmas in their societies. Some writers have sensed repression and because of their commitment towards humanity and their countries, they have explored the realities of their societies through the depiction of the fictional characters in their stories. Firdus in” Woman at Point Zero” by Nawal El Saadawi and Ree Dolly in “Winter’s Bone” by Daniel Woodrell are two female characters who stand as representatives for their society. They are unique in their ability in facing and resisting their environment bravely. Both novels depict the women’s physical and psychological repression and their attempts to resist in their societies. The novels depict the female protagonists’ actions and the ways repression is represented in the Egyptian and the American society where the writers belong to....
The structure of Egyptian politics and state administration was also redefined during Ali’s rule. As the go...
In the novel Woman at Point Zero the author, Nawal El Saadawi, retells the life story of Firdaus, the main character, a tragic hero who rebels against the social norms within her oppressive culture seeking the same respect and prestige that is bestowed upon her male oppressors, only to be executed for her attempt to obtain the same privileges as men. This essay will demonstrate how the aspects and expectations of Egyptian culture influence Firdaus’s decisions as she struggles to be her own woman in a society controlled by dictatorial political and patriarchal structures all while exposing the evident discontentment she has with the way Egyptian society views women, and the glorification of things that go against ideal societal structures.
The Arab novelist no longer considers their writing as a feminist publication against oppression and a kind of rebellion against the patriarchal culture. As well the protest against disinheritance of women's rights to education, work, or merely a call to revolt against traditional patriarchal values. As in the past, when female works call those women saved from death and the disposal of fear of slavery and exploitation, as it did Scheherazade in Arabian
Naguib Mahfouz is one of the most famous writers of the Arabic speaking language. Mahfouz is also one of the most widely read and respected authors in Egypt. While alive, Mahfouz was largely responsible for importing non-native form into his writing. During the 1960’s Mahfouz was known as an innovator and in fact is still known for it today. He was also known for many talents such as fine instinct, for discovering fears, prejudices, and suspicions of his people, and then he would serve them back in his writing. Many people believe that Mahfouz was a master of allegory and keen observer of human nature and politics. His pieces were both profound and popular, he was distinctively egyptian but yet universal. Mahfouz embodies the chaotic human anthill of life possible, and this portrayed in his writing.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/163307>. Mahfouz, Naguib. Midaq Alley.
Metz, Helen Chapin. Egypt: A Country Study. Helen Chapin Metz, ed. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, 1990]. .