Ageing in the Modern Arabic Novel

The MENA region has a significant aging population, but little attention has been paid to the cultural significance of growing old. This book challenges the critical corpus that reads modern Arabic novels as a political discourse with an emphasis on youth achievement by assembling fictional works that incorporate older characters and drawing on theoretical approaches to aging from the perspective of gender and feminism. It reveals that there is no standard female or male experience or prototype of oldness in the modern Arabic novel, and that men and women manifest a multiplicity of identities, concerns, and experiences as they grow older.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 31 August 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

The MENA region is home to over 15 million individuals aged 65 and above, yet the cultural significance of aging has received limited attention. This book challenges the prevailing narrative that views modern Arabic novels primarily as political discourses focused on youth achievements by highlighting the presence of older characters in various fictional works from across the Arab world. By drawing upon diverse theoretical perspectives on aging, particularly from the lens of gender and feminism, the book seeks to bridge the gap between biological and cultural understandings of old age. It reveals that there is no universal female or male experience of aging, and that individuals exhibit a wide range of identities, concerns, and experiences as they grow older. The book contributes to the growing body of literature on aging in the Arab world and provides valuable insights into the complexities of aging in a rapidly changing social and cultural landscape.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474466769