Page 116 - DENG501_LITERARY_CRITICISM_AND_THEORIES

Literary Criticism and Theories

Notes describe Alexandria are both cultured and romantic, emphasizing his education. He also
tends to reminisce frequently, emphasizing his age and the many memories he has to reflect
on. Sarhan El-Beheiry is a country boy from a good family; he is also educated and tends to
reminisce, but his reflections are generally of a more innocent and rustic nature: "The whole
world delighted me - the excitement of my own desires, the softness of the sunlight, with the
multitude of faces I saw waiting around me. And I remembered again the cotton-picking
season at home". In contrast, Hosni Allam, an uneducated landowner (and therefore upper
class despite his lack of education), frequently uses colloquial expressions, such as his oft-
repeated "Ferekeeko, don't blame me". The repetition of slang throughout Hosni Allam's
narration establishes his lack of education. Through such an analysis of the language used in
the different characters' storytelling, the reader understands the characterization of each
speaker.
• Besides establishing the character of the narrator, the language each storyteller uses also
establishes what Seymour Chatman calls the "presence" of the narrator: "The narrator comes
into existence when the story itself is made to seem a demonstrable act of communication".
Chatman goes on to illustrate the difference between a narrator who tells his story and one
who shows it. "If an audience feels that it is in some sense spoken to (regardless of the
medium), then the existence of a teller must be presumed". The narrator who tells his story
does so in a voice that is clearly directed to the reader. The narrator who shows his story,
however, has the difficulty of convincing the reader that they have emerged into the midst of
the story: "The author must make special efforts to preserve the illusion that the events are
literally happening before the reader's eyes". The narrators in Miramar clearly show the
differences in their styles of narration. From the beginning, Amer Wagdi's story is clearly
told to us: he soliloquizes about the beauty of Alexandria, about the changes in his old friend
Mariana, in a way that he never would if not preening before an audience. At times he
speaks his thoughts directly to the city and to other characters, but he is still speaking to his
readers, as his sentence, "Beware of idleness," with its unspoken "you," shows. Hosni Allam's
account also takes on "teller" qualities through his constant plea of, "Ferekeeko, don't blame
me". Just like the two before him, Mansour Bahy assumes the voice of one speaking to the
audience. He makes statements such as, "I liked the weather in Alexandria. It suited me,".
His habit of telling the audience what he thinks or feels, instead of allowing the reader to
perceive descriptive passages from his point of view, establishes his role as a narrator who
tells rather than shows. However, by the time the book comes to Sarhan El-Beheiry's account,
the reader already knows - having been told it three times already - that this narration will
end with the narrator's death. Since dead men cannot tell someone their story, it is assumed
from the beginning that Sarhan is showing the reader. This assumption is supported by the
way Sarhan El-Beheiry uses the language to narrate. Rather than speaking his thoughts
directly to the audience, they are presented as personal. "He can't be completely broke, I
thought," Sarhan muses . The use of the words, "I thought," makes it clear that we are simply
inside Sarhan's head, sharing his thoughts, instead of being talked to. The differences in
narration style helps to establish character, as well as supporting the inevitable conclusion of
all four narratives: the death of Sarhan El-Beheiry.
• As characterization is established, the unique cultural background of each narrator becomes
clear. Jacques Derrida proclaims that "ethnology - like any science - comes about within the
element of discourse". True to form, as each character tells his version of the story, a sense of
ethnicity is established. Amer Wagdi, speaking of his youth, says, "Those were the days - the
glory of working for the Cause, independence, the Nation! Amer Wagdi was someone indeed
- full of favours for friends, but a man to be feared and avoided by enemies". Amer's experience
with culture was mainly through being part of the revolution, although as an intellectual he
is also the most open-minded of the narrators, earning him the right to both open and close
the novel. Mansour Bahy comes from a similar background: "I work at the Alexandria
Broadcasting Service," he tells Mariana, the landlady at the Miramar. He idolizes Amer

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