Paris in 1855 and 1922 : Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq and James Joyce

Abstract

‘Paris in 1855 and 1922’ indicates the place and dates of publication of two modernist novels, Al-Sāq ‘alā l-sāq (Leg over Leg, 1855) by Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq and Ulysses (1922) by James Joyce, and hints at the repercussions of global modernist theories. The thesis argues for respatializing and reperiodizing the modernist movement. I read these novels in new constellations to underscore their interaction with their respective literary heritages, all the while demanding an engagement with foreign cultures. Although this study is not the first to read Joyce outside the Anglo-European context, it is the first to read it in parallel with a modernist novel in Arabic literature. Chapter one investigates Shidyaq’s place within world literature, detailing his travel history and religious conversions, and how his novel lends itself to foreign readers. It explores his allusions to European literature, translations, and errors. It further establishes how he defamiliarizes the Arabic language and alienates the Arab reader by using archaic vocabulary and literary lists. Often discussed from the Nahda context by scholars, the present study moves Leg over Leg outside these discussions and reads it from the theoretical perspective of global modernism. Chapter two reads Joyce's Ulysses and its incorporation of deliberate errors, multilingualism, foreign humor, and blasphemy. The stylistic techniques employed in both novels, such as parody and wordplay, shape their experimental novels. Chapter three stresses the role of libraries and newspapers as sites of knowledge circulation, accession, and accumulation. It compares how both novels deal with themes on the loss of a child and the portrayal of women’s sexuality. In which direction do these authors migrate from and against traditions? What role do their semi-autobiographical texts play in reconceptualizing the fictional novel genre? How does their understanding of language and literature participate in lending their novels to tr