Feminist Politics in Autobiographical Fiction of Fatima Mernisi’s Dream of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood
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Date
2016
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Springboard, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin
Abstract
The social and cultural life of Arab women in Morocco in viewed to be that of subjugation. The issues of women’s right, identity and recognition have, therefore, come to be a major preoccupation of Mernisi’s Dreams of Trespass: Tales of A harem Girlhood. In this novel, Mernisi assumes the role of a social visionary who could pass for a ‘watch dog’ in her society. The paper employs liberal feminist criticism to analyze the thematic thrust of the work. Equipped with an avowed commitment to promote the right of women, the paper examines how her autobiography strives to fertilize the ideological thrust of feminism in Arab literature and through an appropriate deployment of narrative technique, style, theme and characterization; it projects an artistic vision that reveals the deplorable condition of Arab women in Morocco. In conclusion, the study shows that she explores persuasive strategies to effect social change. In this way, her work aptly demonstrates the interrelatedness of arts and society.
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Keywords
Feminist Politics,, Fatima Mernisi’s Dream,, Harem Girlhood,, Autobiographical fiction