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Miramar
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Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz - Dec BOTM
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Diane
(last edited Nov 23, 2024 11:09AM)
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Nov 23, 2024 11:05AM
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1) How would you identify the novel you are reading in terms of style and genre? What does it have in common with Western literature you have read? What about it appears to be particularly "Middle Eastern"?
2) What did you find familiar in Mahfouz’s stories? What parallels can you find in your own culture or experience to the life in Egypt he describes?
3) What elements of this novel are unfamiliar/alien to you? Do these merely reflect cultural differences or do they also address larger, more universal themes?
4) It has been suggested by many writers that there is a great contrast between the men and the women in Mahfouz’s novels; that the men are weaker and more flawed than the women, who are strong and dependable. Does this appear to be true in the novel(s) you have read? How would you characterize the women in Mahfouz’s fiction?
5) Mahfouz once said "If I had traveled, like Hemingway, I’m sure that my work would have been different. My work was shaped by being so Egyptian." Focusing on the particular works you have read, in what ways do you imagine the tone of the narrative and the perspective might change had the text been written by a more "worldly" author?
6) How does Mahfouz’s literary rendering of Egypt affect your political perception of the country? Does it alter any preconceptions you may have brought to the work for better or for worse?
7) In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, Mahfouz stated: "Man remembers what hurts more than what pleases." In what ways is this dictum borne out in his writings?
8) Many of Mahfouz’s characters are derived from the lower and middle class strata of society. Yet he chooses to imbue all of his characters with a language that is considered to be classical literary Arabic as opposed to the colloquial dialects that would be more natural to their stations in life. Why do you think he does this? What effect does he achieve through the employment of this universal tongue?
9) When Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize, many Arab and Egyptian intellectuals responded with mixed feelings. While on the one hand they were both pleased and proud that one of their own had achieved such recognition, on the other they wanted the world cautioned that his political views were not necessarily representative of the average Egyptian. What examples do you find in his writing that lead you to believe that there is a more "Western" sensibility at work here?
10) From 1949 to 1957, the books that Mahfouz produced were semi-autobiographical works of social realism. From 1961 to 1967, his output changed, with the pieces becoming existential and concerned with souls in a state of spiritual crisis. Since then, his approach has been eclectic. Consulting the publication chronology provided at the back of this guide, locate the period in which the book you have read came out, and discuss what elements there are in the writing style that identify it as belonging to that particular genre.
11) The novels, while possessing a timeless quality, are very much informed by a sense of place. Can you picture the events depicted here or the sensations of the characters occurring in our own society at any given point in our history? If so, when?
12) The Koran instills the belief and deference to one God. Often, the characters will refer to the "work of God" or view their fortunes as being "in God’s hands." Discuss the theme of fate vs. personal determination that runs throughout the novels. How do religious beliefs protect and hinder us? How do they affect our ability to act?
13) With our Western ideology, we would view the lives of many of these women depicted as being
little better than that of prisoners. But what does Mahfouz– with the advantage of his Egyptian heritage– think of their lives? Do you imagine that he shares our opinion that they are repressed, or do you think that he finds their existence satisfying and as it should be?
14) Discuss the role of women’s complicity in their own repression– both in Cairene society and in our own– as typified by classic examples in the text of blaming the victim.
15) Like all societies, this one has superstitions that are specific to it. Identifying them, discuss the negative and positive functions that these superstitions serve for Cairene society.
16) The narratives are almost completely serious in tone, with occasional pinpoints of humor brightening the way. Discuss the techniques employed by the author to inject humor into the tales, and your opinion as to whether or not he is successful.
17) Can we– hampered by our Western vision– appreciate the inherent beauty of a culture so different from our own, or does our perception of the wrongness of human oppression blind us to this?
18) Usually, the author refers to his characters by name. But, now and again– particularly during more dramatic moments– he will refer to them as "the man" or "the woman." What effect do you suppose that Mahfouz is trying to achieve through his fashioning of this style?
19) In 1919, Egypt experienced a brief period of rebellion against the British colonial rule. In 1952, there was a revolution. Situating the piece you have read against this historical backdrop, how does Mahfouz’s writing speak to you about a nation experiencing internal unrest before, during, and after these periods of turmoil?
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4) It has been suggested by many writers that there is a great contrast between the men and the women in Mahfouz’s novels; that the men are weaker and more flawed than the women, who are strong and dependable. Does this appear to be true in the novel(s) you have read? How would you characterize the women in Mahfouz’s fiction?In a sense this is so, but while the women in this book may seem emotionally strong, they are also very vulnerable. Zohra, Safeya, and Aleya are all deceived and respond to it by coming to their own defence publicly and vocally in a way that would be unthinkable for most women in my culture! There is no question of pretending they are not hurt and damaged. They are confident enough to show their feelings and their truth. But their lives seem to revolve around love and men and the hope of marriage.
This book would not pass the "Bechdel test" - whether two female characters have a conversation that's not about men.
12) The Koran instills the belief and deference to one God. Often, the characters will refer to the "work of God" or view their fortunes as being "in God’s hands." Discuss the theme of fate vs. personal determination that runs throughout the novels. How do religious beliefs protect and hinder us? How do they affect our ability to act?
I think that the idea of accepting the will of God doesn't mean not to act, but to accept when things don't go your way. I previously had an idea that Islam as practised in the Middle East emphasised resignation more than Christianity - that there was a stronger emphasis on leaving things in God's hands - but this novel doesn't bear that out. Everyone does what they can to foster their interests, they often blame others for their misfortunes (reasonably enough in many cases) rather than seeing it as fate, and there is even suicide of a young and healthy person, which seems to me to be the opposite of accepting the will of God. Although they talk about things being in God's hands and add "inshallah" ("God willing") to many statements, I think the characters believe they mostly determine their own lives.
11) The novels, while possessing a timeless quality, are very much informed by a sense of place. Can you picture the events depicted here or the sensations of the characters occurring in our own society at any given point in our history? If so, when?
I can see this as a Shakespearean comedy, although it would need a different ending. We have three young men, three young women, an older couple, and a very old man looking on - yes, I can picture this in Elizabethan England!
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I read somewhere that this was a transition book for the author. A transition to more modernism style. I do wonder sometimes how good translations are though this seemed quite good. I got a sense of place and the concerns of the people.
2) What did you find familiar in Mahfouz’s stories? What parallels can you find in your own culture or experience to the life in Egypt he describes? I did not have a sense of parallel with my culture. I did identify with how older generations and younger generations sometimes get along but often have very different perspectives on life and what's important.
4) It has been suggested by many writers that there is a great contrast between the men and the women in Mahfouz’s novels; that the men are weaker and more flawed than the women, who are strong and dependable. Does this appear to be true in the novel(s) you have read? How would you characterize the women in Mahfouz’s fiction? I would say that Mahfouz's women are very interesting characters. They live under more constraints with less outward power but I think hardships make people strong. Maybe the men are weak because they don't have the same expectations and restrictions.
6) How does Mahfouz’s literary rendering of Egypt affect your political perception of the country? Does it alter any preconceptions you may have brought to the work for better or for worse? I thought it was interesting look at the politics. The choice that they had being none very good.
7) In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, Mahfouz stated: "Man remembers what hurts more than what pleases." In what ways is this dictum borne out in his writings? The characters are remembering what was lost in the revolution.
8) Many of Mahfouz’s characters are derived from the lower and middle class strata of society. Yet he chooses to imbue all of his characters with a language that is considered to be classical literary Arabic as opposed to the colloquial dialects that would be more natural to their stations in life. Why do you think he does this? What effect does he achieve through the employment of this universal tongue? broader readability?
9) When Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize, many Arab and Egyptian intellectuals responded with mixed feelings. While on the one hand they were both pleased and proud that one of their own had achieved such recognition, on the other they wanted the world cautioned that his political views were not necessarily representative of the average Egyptian. What examples do you find in his writing that lead you to believe that there is a more "Western" sensibility at work here? perhaps the freedom he gives his female characters
10) From 1949 to 1957, the books that Mahfouz produced were semi-autobiographical works of social realism. From 1961 to 1967, his output changed, with the pieces becoming existential and concerned with souls in a state of spiritual crisis. Since then, his approach has been eclectic. Consulting the publication chronology provided at the back of this guide, locate the period in which the book you have read came out, and discuss what elements there are in the writing style that identify it as belonging to that particular genre.
skipping this one
I did like how he gave four different perspectives to the same event. It worked quite well.
12) The Koran instills the belief and deference to one God. Often, the characters will refer to the "work of God" or view their fortunes as being "in God’s hands." Discuss the theme of fate vs. personal determination that runs throughout the novels. How do religious beliefs protect and hinder us? How do they affect our ability to act?
13) With our Western ideology, we would view the lives of many of these women depicted as being little better than that of prisoners. But what does Mahfouz– with the advantage of his Egyptian heritage– think of their lives? Do you imagine that he shares our opinion that they are repressed, or do you think that he finds their existence satisfying and as it should be?
14) Discuss the role of women’s complicity in their own repression– both in Cairene society and in our own– as typified by classic examples in the text of blaming the victim. Well certainly Zohra was blamed by Mairana and asked to leave so she is the victim. I thought it was very Western that these women could obtain jobs and make money and go to school. It wasn't easy but it was possible.
15) Like all societies, this one has superstitions that are specific to it. Identifying them, discuss the negative and positive functions that these superstitions serve for Cairene society.
16) The narratives are almost completely serious in tone, with occasional pinpoints of humor brightening the way. Discuss the techniques employed by the author to inject humor into the tales, and your opinion as to whether or not he is successful.
17) Can we– hampered by our Western vision– appreciate the inherent beauty of a culture so different from our own, or does our perception of the wrongness of human oppression blind us to this?
18) Usually, the author refers to his characters by name. But, now and again– particularly during more dramatic moments– he will refer to them as "the man" or "the woman." What effect do you suppose that Mahfouz is trying to achieve through his fashioning of this style?
19) In 1919, Egypt experienced a brief period of rebellion against the British colonial rule. In 1952, there was a revolution. Situating the piece you have read against this historical backdrop, how does Mahfouz’s writing speak to you about a nation experiencing internal unrest before, during, and after these periods of turmoil?
Mod
3) What elements of this novel are unfamiliar/alien to you? Do these merely reflect cultural differences or do they also address larger, more universal themes?This novel is linked to a very specific time and place (Alexandria after the 1952 revolution) which I am not very familiar with. The characters in the Pension Miramar represent different strata of Egyptian society and political beliefs of the time. Yet they also show universal traits - passion, jealousy, a desire to make money or to better oneself, a feeling life is passing by, the opportunism to succeed in a particular political climate. For this book, I feel you have to think about the specific and the universal together.
4) It has been suggested by many writers that there is a great contrast between the men and the women in Mahfouz’s novels; that the men are weaker and more flawed than the women, who are strong and dependable. Does this appear to be true in the novel(s) you have read? How would you characterize the women in Mahfouz’s fiction?
Some of the women have a strength to stand up for themselves - Mariana makes her rules within the pension, Zohra decides to learn to read - but others (Safeya, Aleya) are looking for marriage and are devastated at the way their men treat them. We also primarily see the women in Miramar through the men’s eyes and snatches of dialogue, but these also reveal more than the men intend.
8. Many of Mahfouz’s characters are derived from the lower and middle class strata of society. Yet he chooses to imbue all of his characters with a language that is considered to be classical literary Arabic as opposed to the colloquial dialects that would be more natural to their stations in life. Why do you think he does this? What effect does he achieve through the employment of this universal tongue?
This is quite hard to answer when reading in translation, but I guess one aspect is to appeal to a wider readership who may themselves have prejudice about certain dialects or manners of speech. I did like the way Hosny kept saying “Ferekeeko, don’t blame me!” - it singled him out as more uneducated and casual, almost comical. He did mention the other characters’ accents, so I’m interested to learn this didn’t come through in the Arabic he used.
11) The novels, while possessing a timeless quality, are very much informed by a sense of place. Can you picture the events depicted here or the sensations of the characters occurring in our own society at any given point in our history? If so, when?
I can’t relate the political situation to my UK history, it’s a very modern phenomenon with a struggle for independence followed by Communist revolutionaries and a dictator, but it could relate to much of Europe. I feel more confident relating the love triangle and jealousy to our own society, from a Shakespearean play to a 19th century novel, but there was certainly a lot of fisticuffs in the Miramar!
17) Can we– hampered by our Western vision– appreciate the inherent beauty of a culture so different from our own, or does our perception of the wrongness of human oppression blind us to this?
Gosh what a loaded question PRH! Are we hampered or is our “Western vision” just our jumping off point for reaching out through literature to encounter other cultures? Why else would we be reading? To be fair, I do read a lot of reviews which insist on reducing every book to a 21st century Euro/US viewpoint, but there are plenty of more thoughtful and culturally sensitive readers too. So I would unequivocally say yes we can appreciate the beauty of a different culture if we open ourselves to it and choose to do so.
