Ali Salem’s the phantoms of new Egypt (1968)1 : a subversive reading of post-independence dystopia
Author
al-Khayyat, Marwah Isam al-Din Fahmi
Source
Bulletin of Advanced English Studies
Issue
Vol. 4, Issue 1 (31 Mar. 2020), pp.14-26, 13 p.
Publisher
Refaad Center for Studies and Research
Publication Date
2020-03-31
Country of Publication
Jordan
No. of Pages
13
Main Subjects
Topics
Abstract EN
The current study aims to establish Salem's The Phantoms of New Egypt2 as a dystopian drama to expose the collapse of utopia and the rise of dystopia within the national pitfalls of the ruling class in post-independence Egypt.
This provides an explanation of the title of the present paper since dystopia has been perceived as an escape to dismal socio-political conditions while utopia has been considered as an escape from a grim historical reality to an ideal hypothetical one.
Moreover, the present study examines the close relationship between dystopian drama and dark satire since each of them is a counterpoint to the vision of utopia.
Satire foregrounds the huge cleavage between a utopian dream and a dystopian bleak reality to underscore acts of resistance and struggle.
Salem's The Phantoms of New Egypt is as a perfect example of the 'totalitarian laughter' which is a prominent feature in Bakhtin's notion of 'grotesque realism'.
This highlights post-independence grotesque power which is both incongruous and monstrous.
Power abuse is also scrutinized fantastically within Foucault's 'panoptic gaze'3 to create normalized and docile subjects.
American Psychological Association (APA)
al-Khayyat, Marwah Isam al-Din Fahmi. 2020. Ali Salem’s the phantoms of new Egypt (1968)1 : a subversive reading of post-independence dystopia. Bulletin of Advanced English Studies،Vol. 4, no. 1, pp.14-26.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-962204
Modern Language Association (MLA)
al-Khayyat, Marwah Isam al-Din Fahmi. Ali Salem’s the phantoms of new Egypt (1968)1 : a subversive reading of post-independence dystopia. Bulletin of Advanced English Studies Vol. 4, no. 1 (Mar. 2020), pp.14-26.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-962204
American Medical Association (AMA)
al-Khayyat, Marwah Isam al-Din Fahmi. Ali Salem’s the phantoms of new Egypt (1968)1 : a subversive reading of post-independence dystopia. Bulletin of Advanced English Studies. 2020. Vol. 4, no. 1, pp.14-26.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-962204
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references : p. 25-26
Record ID
BIM-962204