Feminine Aesthetics in Arab Feminist Criticism (Between Concealment and Emergence)

Abstract

This study explores Arab feminist literature and its relationship to Western feminist literature. Ancient Arab heritage revealed, through the Epic of Gilgamesh, how Mesopotamian society was enriched by women’s contributions such as Queen Puabi, Enheduanna, and Semiramis. Likewise, ancient Greek myths reflected the role of women in the West, later echoed in the works of Virginia Woolf and her supporters among writers and critics, including Caroline Heilbrun, Elaine Showalter, Jerry Register, and Barbara. These works inspired Arab women to assume their cultural role in Arab society. This was exemplified in the work of critic Radwa Ashour, who focused on the sociological dimension in the novels of Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani, relying on his biography. Her study represented part of the realist school, which views literature as inseparable from reality and life. Similarly, critic Dr. Siza Qasim studied Naguib Mahfouz’s Trilogy, comparing Western and Arab novelistic techniques, combining structural analysis with comparative criticism. Dr. Nabila Ibrahim took a different approach, drawing from the depth of folk heritage and its ability to penetrate contemporary literary works. She analyzed Mahfouz’s Respectable Gentleman. Dr. Latifa Al-Zayyat examined the inner truth of characters in Mahfouz’s The Thief and the Dogs, highlighting the freedom of movement in time and space. Dr. Huda Wasfi studied levels of description in Mahfouz’s The Beggar, while Dr. Khalida Said analyzed Adrift on the Nile. Through these studies, Arab feminist criticism emerged as a parallel to the dominant male-centered tradition in Arab literature.