Abstract

This paper tackles the significance of the setting/ narrative space in Berytus: an Underground City by Rabea Jaber, and undertakes unearthing the inner workings of the undeniable influence the setting has on its characters; all the while remaining mindful of the contrariety between the binary oppositions that are part and parcel of the narrative space.

It does that  by first attempting to define the setting, and then deciphering its symbolism in the aforesaid novel and explaining the significance of the author's choice of places therein.

To this end, the paper follows an analytical approach, starting with an introduction that addresses the discourse surrounding the concept of narrative space in fiction, the relevant literature and the methodology followed.

It then presents an overview of the author's life and of his novel, Berytus: an Underground City, in the background section, before moving on to its argument section, the focus of which is two fold– firstly, it sheds light on the paratexts of the novel (namely, the visual and the verbal), as well as unpacking the meaning implicit in the dedication and the fourth cover page thereof. And secondly, it covers the particular setting/ narrative space in the literary work at hand, its type and its significance. The paper ends with a conclusion and a summary of the most significant results.

 

                               Keywords: space, place, novel, Beirut

Title

المجلة الإلكترونية الشاملة متعددة التخصصات

Publisher

المجلة الإلكترونية الشاملة متعددة التخصصات

Publisher Country

Jordan

Publication Type

Online only

Volume

51

Year

2022

Pages

29