The Rise of Absurdist Fiction
Arabic Drama
Arabic 2702
Dr. Zuheir Alidib
Traditional Dramatic Entertainment
Classical Arabic Lit: Did not exist.
Medeaval Arabic Lit: Al Hamadhani -
Maqama (10
th
C)
-
western influence
1. Khayal al Zill (shadow play).
2.Zajal (Colloquial Verse) Songs dealing
with historical themes
Musical theater
Marun al- Naqqash: (Lebanon)1847
imported the European model of
theater (The Miser)
Salim al- Naqqash: (Lebanon-Egypt)
1876- Aida (Verdi’s Opera) & Abu
Hassan al-Mughaffal (fool).
Abu Khalil al-Qabbani: (Syria – Egypt)
plays w/ love theme, moral
significance (Racine, Hugo and other
plays from traditional Arabic source.
Tawfiq al-Hakim
(1898–1987)
Father of modern Arab drama.
1. Sajin al-umr (Autobiography) –
Interests in theater (father).
2. Unwelcomed guest (allegory)
In France:
He was interested in Avant Gard
theater/ Pirandello.
He was inspired by the stage direction
of Ibsen, Maeterlinck & Shaw, and
Pitoeff
Theater of Ideas.
Theater of the Mind:
Bullet in the Heart & Sleepers of the
Cave -1933. Arabic Drama became a
respectable form of lit.
Theater of society: 1945 – 1950
Political & social themes – The Sultan
Dilemma
Theater of the Absurd: 1962 – The Tree
Climber
The Wisdom of Solomon
Derived from the Old Testament, The
Quran and the Arabian Nights.
Significance:
1. The importance of power in
capturing the heart.
2. The corrupting influence of
absolute power.
1.
The importance of power in
capturing the heart.
Illustrated by the failure of:
- Solomon to win the love of the
queen.
- The queen to gain the love of
her captive prince, Mundhir, who
lost his heart to the queen’s maid
2. The corrupting influence of
absolute power.
- Infliction of Suffering on the queen.
- Attempt to force the queen to give
up her love.
- Feeling ashamed.
The play is based on the
mythological elements (Quran,
Old Testament, Arabian Nights).
It suffers from a loose
structure.
Shahrazad
Short play of 7 scenes
Poetic
Somber
Humors (minimum)
Surreal
Reality/Fantasy
Sanity/Insanity
Wisdom/Folly
Striking Features:
- Short speeches
- Poetic utterances
- Mystical associations
These futures compensate for the
relative rarity of external actions.
The playwright resorts to a cunning
use of:
Sound effects
Music
Singing
Light and darkness
The natural setting add “mysterious”
nature to the play and to main
character.
The play is a dramatic prose poem
in dialogue.
It is a part of the theater of the
mind.
Message: Can a man live only with
and for his mind?
King Oedipus
Return to the classical world of
ancient Greece.
The aim is to forward a thesis, to
present a Greek tragedy viewed
through a Muslim eyes.
Hakim said: “My religious faith as a
Muslim rejects the idea of a God who
schemes before hand to harm utterly
innocent man”.
He claims that the idea of
predestination was not accepted by
the major Islamic philosophers.
He takes a middle position on the idea
of Fate.
He introduced many changes in the
story of Oedipus
1. Final analysis of the King
(unsatisfactory play)
2. No prophecy (Kill, Marry)
3. Oedipus does not run away to avert
his doom
4. He goes on a journey to find the
truth about his parentage.
5. No Sphinx
Teieresias:
1. Suggests to Laius to get red of his son
2. Invents the episode of the sphinx
Oedipus king
3. Hates Creon
No King
Oedipus allows himself to be used.
Tragic outcome of the play – not the envy of
gods but the nature of Oedipus’ character –
passion for investigation – obsession for the
truth.
Drastic Changes
No Fate.
The Tree Climber
Experimental Drama
Flashbacks
First p. 6
Second P. 22
End of the play – Empty stage - Sounds
Interpretation:
1. Conflict between art and demands
of life (Pygmalion)
Husband: Artist – Perfect work
(Tree).
Wife: Preoccupied with the child
that was not born.
Ironic Statement:
- Happy life = No conventional
communication.
- Intellectual communication in
intimate human relations is
impossible to achieve
Message:
Each man is an island, any attempt to
break into his world spells disaster.
Techniques of the theatre of the absurd:
1. Communication breakdown
2. Traditional Theatrical conventions – not followed
3. No sets or fixed props
4. No division between time and place, past and
present
5. Characters + scenery (not realistic).
6. Lots of questions are left unanswered
- Dervish
- connection between the wife and Lady Green
- wife’s body
Absurdist fiction emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, post-WWII, challenging existential concepts through characters in purposeless situations. Influenced by Kierkegaard and Camus, it questions the irrationality of life, with notable writers like Beckett and Camus shaping the genre.
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Presentation Transcript
Arabic Drama Arabic 2702 Dr. Zuheir Alidib
Traditional Dramatic Entertainment Classical Arabic Lit: Did not exist. Medeaval Arabic Lit: Al Hamadhani - Maqama (10thC) - western influence 1. Khayal al Zill (shadow play). 2.Zajal (Colloquial Verse) Songs dealing with historical themes Musical theater
Marun al- Naqqash: (Lebanon)1847 imported the European model of theater (The Miser) Salim al- Naqqash: (Lebanon-Egypt) 1876- Aida (Verdi s Opera) & Abu Hassan al-Mughaffal (fool). Abu Khalil al-Qabbani: (Syria Egypt) plays w/ love theme, moral significance (Racine, Hugo and other plays from traditional Arabic source.
Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898 1987) Father of modern Arab drama. 1. Sajin al-umr (Autobiography) Interests in theater (father). 2. Unwelcomed guest (allegory)
In France: He was interested in Avant Gard theater/ Pirandello. He was inspired by the stage direction of Ibsen, Maeterlinck & Shaw, and Pitoeff Theater of Ideas.
Theater of the Mind: Bullet in the Heart & Sleepers of the Cave -1933. Arabic Drama became a respectable form of lit. Theater of society: 1945 1950 Political & social themes The Sultan Dilemma Theater of the Absurd: 1962 The Tree Climber
The Wisdom of Solomon Derived from the Old Testament, The Quran and the Arabian Nights. Significance: 1. The importance of power in capturing the heart. 2. The corrupting influence of absolute power.
1. The importance of power in capturing the heart. Illustrated by the failure of: - Solomon to win the love of the queen. - The queen to gain the love of her captive prince, Mundhir, who lost his heart to the queen s maid
2. The corrupting influence of absolute power. - Infliction of Suffering on the queen. - Attempt to force the queen to give up her love. - Feeling ashamed.
The play is based on the mythological elements (Quran, Old Testament, Arabian Nights). It suffers from a loose structure.
Shahrazad Short play of 7 scenes Poetic Somber Humors (minimum) Surreal Reality/Fantasy Sanity/Insanity Wisdom/Folly
Striking Features: - Short speeches - Poetic utterances - Mystical associations These futures compensate for the relative rarity of external actions.
The playwright resorts to a cunning use of: Sound effects Music Singing Light and darkness The natural setting add mysterious nature to the play and to main character.
The play is a dramatic prose poem in dialogue. It is a part of the theater of the mind. Message: Can a man live only with and for his mind?
King Oedipus Return to the classical world of ancient Greece. The aim is to forward a thesis, to present a Greek tragedy viewed through a Muslim eyes.
Hakim said: My religious faith as a Muslim rejects the idea of a God who schemes before hand to harm utterly innocent man . He claims that the idea of predestination was not accepted by the major Islamic philosophers. He takes a middle position on the idea of Fate.
He introduced many changes in the story of Oedipus 1. Final analysis of the King (unsatisfactory play) 2. No prophecy (Kill, Marry) 3. Oedipus does not run away to avert his doom 4. He goes on a journey to find the truth about his parentage. 5. No Sphinx
Teieresias: 1. Suggests to Laius to get red of his son 2. Invents the episode of the sphinx Oedipus king 3. Hates Creon No King Oedipus allows himself to be used. Tragic outcome of the play not the envy of gods but the nature of Oedipus character passion for investigation obsession for the truth. Drastic Changes No Fate.
The Tree Climber Experimental Drama Flashbacks First p. 6 Second P. 22 End of the play Empty stage - Sounds
Interpretation: 1. Conflict between art and demands of life (Pygmalion) Husband: Artist Perfect work (Tree). Wife: Preoccupied with the child that was not born.
Ironic Statement: - Happy life = No conventional communication. - Intellectual communication in intimate human relations is impossible to achieve Message: Each man is an island, any attempt to break into his world spells disaster.
Techniques of the theatre of the absurd: 1. Communication breakdown 2. Traditional Theatrical conventions not followed 3. No sets or fixed props 4. No division between time and place, past and present 5. Characters + scenery (not realistic). 6. Lots of questions are left unanswered - Dervish - connection between the wife and Lady Green - wife s body
