Haykal's "Zaynab"

Paper Summary:

A detailed critical analysis of "Zaynab" and the social and political situation of Egypt at the time of its publication. This study draws on the criticism of Alle, Hafez and Jad to explore the literary merits of Haykal's text. The paper answers the question: Does a critical analysis of Haykal's Zaynab justify critics' assertion that it was "the first real Arabic novel?" This study is not intended as an historical overview of the literature available to readers of Arabic in the early decades of the twentieth century.

From the Paper:

"Zaynab has often been referred to as the "first real Arabic novel", a title which rarely seems to be called into question. Allen suggests, however, that it is more useful to see Zaynab as a stage in a continuing process of literary evolution, and it is therefore of interest to see how the text stands up to critical analysis of its quality as a novel in general rather than the "first" Arabic novel in particular. The quality of Haykal's writing cannot be denied and his ability to elicit his readers' empathy is highly effective. His story is engaging and it has resonance for readers today just as it must have for Haykal's contemporaries. He treats the themes of love, death and unhappy marriages, themes which are timeless in their relevance despite being sited in this instance in a very particular historical and geographical setting."

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: