Zugl.: Leeds, Univ., Diss., 2008

The author's Magisterarbeit--Universität Freiburg i. Br., 1984. / Includes selections of Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Sarrāj's Uns al-sārī wa-al-sārib min aqṭār al-Maghārib ilá muntahá al-āmāl wa-al-maʼārib wa-sayyid al-aʻājim wa-al-Aʻārib in German translation. Includes indexes. Bibliography: p. 127-133.

The dissertation Magical Realism in Persian and Saudi Narrative Writing views as essential the assumption that the phenomenon of magical realism is not restricted solely to the cultures with colonial legacy, but is transferable to literary works created under systematic and systemic violence anywhere in the world. Previous research of the dissertation's author proved the existence of parallels in the dynamics of sociopolitical development of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the 20th century, foremost in the power relation of the states to their citizens and in the status of women in the society, while there was a strong tendency towards institutionalization of the traditional patriarchal, androcentric and misogynic societal paradigms since the second half of the 20th century. In the last thirty years, women have countered this situation through increased literary activity that has turned out to be an important means of self-fulfillment and emancipation. The fact that some of the most significant Iranian and Saudi women writers use magical realism directed the research to examination of this concept's relevance for the Persian and Saudi narrative writing, inquiry into the reflection of the gender issues and their comparison in both literatures. A detailed case study of two works, each from one country, led...