Imagological Analysis of the Algerian Dessert in The Sheltering Sky (1949) and La Nuit de la Lézarde (1998)
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Date
2023
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Mouloud Mammeri University
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the representation of the desert in Paul Bowles's “The Sheltering Sky” (1949), and Malika Mokeddem's “La nuit de la lézarde” (1998) using Imagology as a theoretical framework. Imagology, a theory focusing on the study of images and representations of different cultures developed by Manfred Beller and Joep Leerssen, it is applied to analyze the portrayal of the desert in these literary works according to characters' perceptions and themes. The representation of the desert in the works of Bowles and Mokeddem, examined through the lens of Imagology, reveals the complex cultural and symbolic significance of the desert in fiction. The desert serves as a crucial space, reflecting the existential and psychological state of the characters, and functioning as a metaphor for the encounter between different cultures. Through the application of Imagology, the representation of the desert can be seen as a construct that shapes and is shaped by cultural perceptions, challenging limited views and inviting a nuanced understanding of its multifaceted symbolism. The desert highlights the interconnectedness of literary representations and cultural identity, and is a site of exploration, where the boundaries between the self and the other, the familiar and the foreign, are blurred. This representation invites readers to question preconceived notions and stereotypes, emphasizing the importance of understanding the cultural, historical, and political contexts that inform these two selected literary representations of the desert in both novels
Description
60p. ; 30cm(+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Algerian desert, Stereotypes, Representation, Imagology
Citation
Literature and Interdisciplinary Approaches