ݺߣ

ݺߣShare a Scribd company logo
 A Discussion of Postmodernistic Elements in Ali Bader’s
Masabih Ourshalim

Dr Hamid Gittan Jewad

University of Kerbala/ College of Education for Human Sciences/ Department of English

 There are many differences between postmodernist, classic and modern novels and attention to
elements of these kinds of novels help some readers to comprehend them and find the cultural
and social atmosphere that the novels have found in. The most particular of the postmodern
novel is protesting against traditional literature and realistic novels.
 The current paper tries to shed light on elements of postmodernism in Masabih Ourshalim.
 Ali Bader is a famous Iraqi modernist, novelist, poet, poetry translator, critic, regarded as the
most significant writer in the Arabic world, in the last decade. He is the novelist of 15 novels
and works also as editor in chief of Alca Books, His works of fiction are fourteen and several
works of non-fiction. His works are making a vital contribution to contemporary Arabic
literature. In 2006, Bader published his novel Masabih Ourshalim.
 This novel includes three main parts: the first part is about the writer describing the differences
between Edward Saed and Iraqi academic Kaanan Makkyyeh. Saed was against the American
attack on Iraq but Makkyyeh was the supporter. The second part is about Iman Maqdasi trip to
Jerusalem, this part is important because the writer denied Israel's myth about the Beit of
Moghaddas.
 The third part of the novel talked about many documents about Moslems, Christians and Jewish.
In the present study, the researcher uses analytical and descriptive methods, we firstly study
postmodernism as a theory and the history of Arabic postmodern novels, secondly, we
investigate the postmodernist elements like intertextuality, permutation, polyphony,
indeterminacy, monologue, temporal and local disorderly, open ending, surprising and absence
of rule in narrating of events. This study focuses on the postmodern themes and strategies
employed in the Masabih Ourshalim.
 2 Research Question
 What are the postmodern techniques and elements that Ali Bader relied on
and used in writing Masabih Ourshalim novel?
 1.4 Ali Bader
 He is an Iraqi novelist, born in Baghdad in the eastern Karrada region in
1964, and graduated from the French Literature Department at the University
of Baghdad in 1985 with a BA degree. He joined the military service until
1991 and spent half of his service in the Iran-Iraq war. After completing that
service, he entered specialized courses in manuscript verification and repair
at the National Manuscripts House in Baghdad in 1992. After that, he travelled
to Belgium and graduated in philosophy from the University of Brussels.
Bader has gained widespread fame due to his novels also his literary works.
 2. The features of postmodernism in the novel Masabih Ourshalim
1 Paradox
2 Deconstruction
3 The randomness of time and place in the narration of events
4 The Self talk
5 Thought Absorption
6 Skepticism
7 Create ambiguity
2.8 Polyphony
 3 Conclusion
 From the novel, Ali Bader was able to reveal his aesthetic and human project, as well as other
metaphorical and demonstrative forms of expression.
 Ali Bader's novels produce new narrative techniques, a kind of implicit rebellion against the
traditional narratives represented by the experiences of Arab novelists.
 His novels are based on an important theoretical aspect, this aspect is summarized in the
theory of postmodernism and the central idea put forward by Jean-François Lyotard, which is
the idea of falsifying the major narratives, as Ali Bader bases his novels on a satirical narrative
that destroys the official narratives made by official and recognized cultures.
 There is a narration in the technical sense that we know and Ali Bader uses to stylize all the
voices of the novel, where the narrator recounts all the events that the heroes lived without
giving them the opportunity to express themselves, and this method allows the narrator to
describe and contain all the events listed in the past and from a transcendent perspective.
 In the novel the Masabih Ourshalim, Ali Bader uses the most prominent techniques of the
postmodern school, which means disintegration, the creation of characters, the randomness of
time and space in events, self-talk, deep thought, skepticism, creating ambiguity, polyphony,
negligence and a stream of events to create the Masabih Ourshalim novel. He records the
mental experiences of the fictional character buried in thousands of folds of the subconscious
mind on paper, without any notice and regularity. Rather, the mental states of the characters
are placed in front of illusion and doubts, and that the writer in this novel does not speak of any
firmness and strictness, nor any feeling and knowledge.
 The Masabih Ourshalim novel is a list of baseless methods for enlivening the voices of the
oppressed in social, cultural and political life.
Ad

Recommended

Narrative Technique in Salman Rushdie's Midnight Children
Narrative Technique in Salman Rushdie's Midnight Children
Rabby Zibon
Fragmentation in "Midnight's Children"
Fragmentation in "Midnight's Children"
hezaltrivedi
Paper - 11 Topic :- Magic Realism and Hybrydity in Midnight's Children.
Paper - 11 Topic :- Magic Realism and Hybrydity in Midnight's Children.
valajyotsna
Critical Study Riddles Of Midnight's Children
Critical Study Riddles Of Midnight's Children
Lajja Bhatt
THE SHADOW LINES BY AMITAV GHOSH
THE SHADOW LINES BY AMITAV GHOSH
Hardik Shah
Tamishra's ph d presentation
Tamishra's ph d presentation
swain tamishra
Magic Realism in Midnights children
Magic Realism in Midnights children
Kishan55555
Citizenship in a Transnational Age: Culture and Politics in Ghosh's The Shado...
Citizenship in a Transnational Age: Culture and Politics in Ghosh's The Shado...
Dr. Nyla Ali Khan
Recharting the Narrative of Subalternity in Amitav Ghosh’ Sea of Poppies
Recharting the Narrative of Subalternity in Amitav Ghosh’ Sea of Poppies
IJLP
Tamishrasphdpresentation 110107200618-phpapp02
Tamishrasphdpresentation 110107200618-phpapp02
Puneet Gupta
Midnight's Children: A Postcolonial Critique
Midnight's Children: A Postcolonial Critique
Rahila Khan
The Teller & The Tales: A Study of The Novels of Amitav Ghosh
The Teller & The Tales: A Study of The Novels of Amitav Ghosh
QUESTJOURNAL
Zulfiqar ghose ppt
Zulfiqar ghose ppt
143_m
stream of consciousness
stream of consciousness
Jayshree Kunchala
Fundamentals of Literature: Fiction ppt
Fundamentals of Literature: Fiction ppt
Belachew Weldegebriel
Midnight's children book
Midnight's children book
sujay762
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
ISP
Magic Realism and ahaybridity in MIdnight's Children
Magic Realism and ahaybridity in MIdnight's Children
Parmar Darshna Parmar Darshna
Narrative Technique in "To The LIghthouse"
Narrative Technique in "To The LIghthouse"
Sardarsinh Solanki
Woolf stream of consciousness technique in To the Light House
Woolf stream of consciousness technique in To the Light House
ISP
Writing Style Of Virginia Woolf
Writing Style Of Virginia Woolf
wingwing
Suspension of disbelief
Suspension of disbelief
Ibrahim Solliman
Biographia literaria chapter14
Biographia literaria chapter14
Anamta Dua
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
Jayshree Kunchala
Elit 48 c class 35
Elit 48 c class 35
jordanlachance
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
reema33
Introduction to Literature - Lecture (2)
Introduction to Literature - Lecture (2)
Ms Maha
Coleridge views on poem and poetry
Coleridge views on poem and poetry
umabagohil
This is why students from these 44 institutions have not received National Se...
This is why students from these 44 institutions have not received National Se...
Kweku Zurek
Publishing Your Memoir with Brooke Warner
Publishing Your Memoir with Brooke Warner
Brooke Warner

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Recharting the Narrative of Subalternity in Amitav Ghosh’ Sea of Poppies
Recharting the Narrative of Subalternity in Amitav Ghosh’ Sea of Poppies
IJLP
Tamishrasphdpresentation 110107200618-phpapp02
Tamishrasphdpresentation 110107200618-phpapp02
Puneet Gupta
Midnight's Children: A Postcolonial Critique
Midnight's Children: A Postcolonial Critique
Rahila Khan
The Teller & The Tales: A Study of The Novels of Amitav Ghosh
The Teller & The Tales: A Study of The Novels of Amitav Ghosh
QUESTJOURNAL
Zulfiqar ghose ppt
Zulfiqar ghose ppt
143_m
stream of consciousness
stream of consciousness
Jayshree Kunchala
Fundamentals of Literature: Fiction ppt
Fundamentals of Literature: Fiction ppt
Belachew Weldegebriel
Midnight's children book
Midnight's children book
sujay762
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
ISP
Magic Realism and ahaybridity in MIdnight's Children
Magic Realism and ahaybridity in MIdnight's Children
Parmar Darshna Parmar Darshna
Narrative Technique in "To The LIghthouse"
Narrative Technique in "To The LIghthouse"
Sardarsinh Solanki
Woolf stream of consciousness technique in To the Light House
Woolf stream of consciousness technique in To the Light House
ISP
Writing Style Of Virginia Woolf
Writing Style Of Virginia Woolf
wingwing
Suspension of disbelief
Suspension of disbelief
Ibrahim Solliman
Biographia literaria chapter14
Biographia literaria chapter14
Anamta Dua
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
Jayshree Kunchala
Elit 48 c class 35
Elit 48 c class 35
jordanlachance
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
reema33
Introduction to Literature - Lecture (2)
Introduction to Literature - Lecture (2)
Ms Maha
Coleridge views on poem and poetry
Coleridge views on poem and poetry
umabagohil
Recharting the Narrative of Subalternity in Amitav Ghosh’ Sea of Poppies
Recharting the Narrative of Subalternity in Amitav Ghosh’ Sea of Poppies
IJLP
Tamishrasphdpresentation 110107200618-phpapp02
Tamishrasphdpresentation 110107200618-phpapp02
Puneet Gupta
Midnight's Children: A Postcolonial Critique
Midnight's Children: A Postcolonial Critique
Rahila Khan
The Teller & The Tales: A Study of The Novels of Amitav Ghosh
The Teller & The Tales: A Study of The Novels of Amitav Ghosh
QUESTJOURNAL
Zulfiqar ghose ppt
Zulfiqar ghose ppt
143_m
Midnight's children book
Midnight's children book
sujay762
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
ISP
Narrative Technique in "To The LIghthouse"
Narrative Technique in "To The LIghthouse"
Sardarsinh Solanki
Woolf stream of consciousness technique in To the Light House
Woolf stream of consciousness technique in To the Light House
ISP
Writing Style Of Virginia Woolf
Writing Style Of Virginia Woolf
wingwing
Biographia literaria chapter14
Biographia literaria chapter14
Anamta Dua
Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness
reema33
Introduction to Literature - Lecture (2)
Introduction to Literature - Lecture (2)
Ms Maha
Coleridge views on poem and poetry
Coleridge views on poem and poetry
umabagohil

Recently uploaded (20)

This is why students from these 44 institutions have not received National Se...
This is why students from these 44 institutions have not received National Se...
Kweku Zurek
Publishing Your Memoir with Brooke Warner
Publishing Your Memoir with Brooke Warner
Brooke Warner
ABCs of Bookkeeping for Nonprofits TechSoup.pdf
ABCs of Bookkeeping for Nonprofits TechSoup.pdf
TechSoup
University of Ghana Cracks Down on Misconduct: Over 100 Students Sanctioned
University of Ghana Cracks Down on Misconduct: Over 100 Students Sanctioned
Kweku Zurek
SCHIZOPHRENIA OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDER LIKE Persistent delusion/Capgras syndr...
SCHIZOPHRENIA OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDER LIKE Persistent delusion/Capgras syndr...
parmarjuli1412
ENGLISH_Q1_W1 PowerPoint grade 3 quarter 1 week 1
ENGLISH_Q1_W1 PowerPoint grade 3 quarter 1 week 1
jutaydeonne
GEOGRAPHY-Study Material [ Class 10th] .pdf
GEOGRAPHY-Study Material [ Class 10th] .pdf
SHERAZ AHMAD LONE
LAZY SUNDAY QUIZ "A GENERAL QUIZ" JUNE 2025 SMC QUIZ CLUB, SILCHAR MEDICAL CO...
LAZY SUNDAY QUIZ "A GENERAL QUIZ" JUNE 2025 SMC QUIZ CLUB, SILCHAR MEDICAL CO...
Ultimatewinner0342
How to Implement Least Package Removal Strategy in Odoo 18 Inventory
How to Implement Least Package Removal Strategy in Odoo 18 Inventory
Celine George
Battle of Bookworms 2025 - U25 Literature Quiz by Pragya
Battle of Bookworms 2025 - U25 Literature Quiz by Pragya
Pragya - UEM Kolkata Quiz Club
LDMMIA Yoga S10 Free Workshop Grad Level
LDMMIA Yoga S10 Free Workshop Grad Level
LDM & Mia eStudios
Sustainable Innovation with Immersive Learning
Sustainable Innovation with Immersive Learning
Leonel Morgado
Health Care Planning and Organization of Health Care at Various Levels – Unit...
Health Care Planning and Organization of Health Care at Various Levels – Unit...
RAKESH SAJJAN
The Man In The Back – Exceptional Delaware.pdf
The Man In The Back – Exceptional Delaware.pdf
dennisongomezk
How to Manage Different Customer Addresses in Odoo 18 Accounting
How to Manage Different Customer Addresses in Odoo 18 Accounting
Celine George
Chalukyas of Gujrat, Solanki Dynasty NEP.pptx
Chalukyas of Gujrat, Solanki Dynasty NEP.pptx
Dr. Ravi Shankar Arya Mahila P. G. College, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
English 3 Quarter 1_LEwithLAS_Week 1.pdf
English 3 Quarter 1_LEwithLAS_Week 1.pdf
DeAsisAlyanajaneH
Paper 108 | Thoreau’s Influence on Gandhi: The Evolution of Civil Disobedience
Paper 108 | Thoreau’s Influence on Gandhi: The Evolution of Civil Disobedience
Rajdeep Bavaliya
K12 Tableau User Group virtual event June 18, 2025
K12 Tableau User Group virtual event June 18, 2025
dogden2
This is why students from these 44 institutions have not received National Se...
This is why students from these 44 institutions have not received National Se...
Kweku Zurek
Publishing Your Memoir with Brooke Warner
Publishing Your Memoir with Brooke Warner
Brooke Warner
ABCs of Bookkeeping for Nonprofits TechSoup.pdf
ABCs of Bookkeeping for Nonprofits TechSoup.pdf
TechSoup
University of Ghana Cracks Down on Misconduct: Over 100 Students Sanctioned
University of Ghana Cracks Down on Misconduct: Over 100 Students Sanctioned
Kweku Zurek
SCHIZOPHRENIA OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDER LIKE Persistent delusion/Capgras syndr...
SCHIZOPHRENIA OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDER LIKE Persistent delusion/Capgras syndr...
parmarjuli1412
ENGLISH_Q1_W1 PowerPoint grade 3 quarter 1 week 1
ENGLISH_Q1_W1 PowerPoint grade 3 quarter 1 week 1
jutaydeonne
GEOGRAPHY-Study Material [ Class 10th] .pdf
GEOGRAPHY-Study Material [ Class 10th] .pdf
SHERAZ AHMAD LONE
LAZY SUNDAY QUIZ "A GENERAL QUIZ" JUNE 2025 SMC QUIZ CLUB, SILCHAR MEDICAL CO...
LAZY SUNDAY QUIZ "A GENERAL QUIZ" JUNE 2025 SMC QUIZ CLUB, SILCHAR MEDICAL CO...
Ultimatewinner0342
How to Implement Least Package Removal Strategy in Odoo 18 Inventory
How to Implement Least Package Removal Strategy in Odoo 18 Inventory
Celine George
LDMMIA Yoga S10 Free Workshop Grad Level
LDMMIA Yoga S10 Free Workshop Grad Level
LDM & Mia eStudios
Sustainable Innovation with Immersive Learning
Sustainable Innovation with Immersive Learning
Leonel Morgado
Health Care Planning and Organization of Health Care at Various Levels – Unit...
Health Care Planning and Organization of Health Care at Various Levels – Unit...
RAKESH SAJJAN
The Man In The Back – Exceptional Delaware.pdf
The Man In The Back – Exceptional Delaware.pdf
dennisongomezk
How to Manage Different Customer Addresses in Odoo 18 Accounting
How to Manage Different Customer Addresses in Odoo 18 Accounting
Celine George
English 3 Quarter 1_LEwithLAS_Week 1.pdf
English 3 Quarter 1_LEwithLAS_Week 1.pdf
DeAsisAlyanajaneH
Paper 108 | Thoreau’s Influence on Gandhi: The Evolution of Civil Disobedience
Paper 108 | Thoreau’s Influence on Gandhi: The Evolution of Civil Disobedience
Rajdeep Bavaliya
K12 Tableau User Group virtual event June 18, 2025
K12 Tableau User Group virtual event June 18, 2025
dogden2
Ad

بحث مؤتمر

  • 1.  A Discussion of Postmodernistic Elements in Ali Bader’s Masabih Ourshalim  Dr Hamid Gittan Jewad  University of Kerbala/ College of Education for Human Sciences/ Department of English 
  • 2.  There are many differences between postmodernist, classic and modern novels and attention to elements of these kinds of novels help some readers to comprehend them and find the cultural and social atmosphere that the novels have found in. The most particular of the postmodern novel is protesting against traditional literature and realistic novels.  The current paper tries to shed light on elements of postmodernism in Masabih Ourshalim.  Ali Bader is a famous Iraqi modernist, novelist, poet, poetry translator, critic, regarded as the most significant writer in the Arabic world, in the last decade. He is the novelist of 15 novels and works also as editor in chief of Alca Books, His works of fiction are fourteen and several works of non-fiction. His works are making a vital contribution to contemporary Arabic literature. In 2006, Bader published his novel Masabih Ourshalim.
  • 3.  This novel includes three main parts: the first part is about the writer describing the differences between Edward Saed and Iraqi academic Kaanan Makkyyeh. Saed was against the American attack on Iraq but Makkyyeh was the supporter. The second part is about Iman Maqdasi trip to Jerusalem, this part is important because the writer denied Israel's myth about the Beit of Moghaddas.  The third part of the novel talked about many documents about Moslems, Christians and Jewish. In the present study, the researcher uses analytical and descriptive methods, we firstly study postmodernism as a theory and the history of Arabic postmodern novels, secondly, we investigate the postmodernist elements like intertextuality, permutation, polyphony, indeterminacy, monologue, temporal and local disorderly, open ending, surprising and absence of rule in narrating of events. This study focuses on the postmodern themes and strategies employed in the Masabih Ourshalim.
  • 4.  2 Research Question  What are the postmodern techniques and elements that Ali Bader relied on and used in writing Masabih Ourshalim novel?
  • 5.  1.4 Ali Bader  He is an Iraqi novelist, born in Baghdad in the eastern Karrada region in 1964, and graduated from the French Literature Department at the University of Baghdad in 1985 with a BA degree. He joined the military service until 1991 and spent half of his service in the Iran-Iraq war. After completing that service, he entered specialized courses in manuscript verification and repair at the National Manuscripts House in Baghdad in 1992. After that, he travelled to Belgium and graduated in philosophy from the University of Brussels. Bader has gained widespread fame due to his novels also his literary works.
  • 6.  2. The features of postmodernism in the novel Masabih Ourshalim 1 Paradox 2 Deconstruction 3 The randomness of time and place in the narration of events 4 The Self talk 5 Thought Absorption 6 Skepticism 7 Create ambiguity 2.8 Polyphony
  • 7.  3 Conclusion  From the novel, Ali Bader was able to reveal his aesthetic and human project, as well as other metaphorical and demonstrative forms of expression.  Ali Bader's novels produce new narrative techniques, a kind of implicit rebellion against the traditional narratives represented by the experiences of Arab novelists.  His novels are based on an important theoretical aspect, this aspect is summarized in the theory of postmodernism and the central idea put forward by Jean-François Lyotard, which is the idea of falsifying the major narratives, as Ali Bader bases his novels on a satirical narrative that destroys the official narratives made by official and recognized cultures.  There is a narration in the technical sense that we know and Ali Bader uses to stylize all the voices of the novel, where the narrator recounts all the events that the heroes lived without giving them the opportunity to express themselves, and this method allows the narrator to describe and contain all the events listed in the past and from a transcendent perspective.
  • 8.  In the novel the Masabih Ourshalim, Ali Bader uses the most prominent techniques of the postmodern school, which means disintegration, the creation of characters, the randomness of time and space in events, self-talk, deep thought, skepticism, creating ambiguity, polyphony, negligence and a stream of events to create the Masabih Ourshalim novel. He records the mental experiences of the fictional character buried in thousands of folds of the subconscious mind on paper, without any notice and regularity. Rather, the mental states of the characters are placed in front of illusion and doubts, and that the writer in this novel does not speak of any firmness and strictness, nor any feeling and knowledge.  The Masabih Ourshalim novel is a list of baseless methods for enlivening the voices of the oppressed in social, cultural and political life.