Abstracts of papers:
The Chimalpahin Conference 2008:
Colonial and Post-Colonial Remembering and Forgetfulness
October 15 - 18, 2008
Recuperating the Beloved Alexandria: A Postcolonial Reading of Lawrence Durrell’s "Justine" and Naguib Mahfouz’s "Miramar"
Fereshteh Zangenehpour
English Department
University of Gothenberg
Suecia
My paper is a postcolonial re-evaluation of Lawrence Durrell’s "Justine" (1957), and Naguib Mahfouz’s "Miramar" (1967). Both these novels are hymns to the city of Alexandria, which is differently portrayed in the respective novels as they seem to ostensibly represent Alexandrian culture and society during the years in which they were set. "Justine" is set between the wars, allowing nostalgia of remembrance of the cosmopolitan Alexandria, which is depicted in the re-structure of its colonial ruins.
The colonizer’s narrative voice reveals the structures of imperialism and colonialism that foster cosmopolitanism. "Miramar’s" Alexandria, on the other hand, portrays the immense accumulation of its ancient history, coherent identity, and above all it is the delineation of a nation’s optimistic gaze into its future. My aim is to show how Durrell’s novel, set in 1930’s, asserts its colonial depictions of the Oriental Other in Justine, the promiscuous exotic Alexandrian. Justine, who is the central character in this text, has no voice. She is almost a living myth.
Mahfouz’s text, on the other hand, dissipates the whole notion of exotic image. Zohra, the hard working, honest, but uneducated servant girl who has abandoned her village life is the embodiment of the post-revolutionary independent modern Egypt. Her story is also told from the perspective of four different narrators, but she has a strong independent character, therefore her voice cannot be ignored. To make this point, I will be focusing my theoretical discussion on Edward Said "Orientalism."
About Fereshteh Zangenehpour
Fereshteh Zangenehpour is an associate professor at the English Department, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, where she teaches English, American, and post-colonial literature. Her main area of research is Sufism, feminism, and postcolonialism. Her publications include "Sufism and the Quest for Spiritual Fulfilment in D. H. Lawrence’s 'The Rainbow'” (2000).