Abstract

The current thesis examines how narrative form harmoniously coordinates the motif and the physical nature of the fabula to present three levels of the journey, the physical, the metaphorical and the narratological. This study offers a reading of three novels, Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy Ibn Yaqzan and Naguib Mahfouz’s The Journey of Ibn Fattouma. These novels are spiritual journeys that suggest how literature can be read as narrative. My use of narratology throughout this thesis engages the role of the fabula and the function of metaphor in the overall development of each novel. My analysis relies on the theoretical principles and definitions set forth by Gerald Prince in Dictionary of Narratology and Mieke Bal in Narratology: An Introduction. Both critics have dealt with the interaction between fabula and narrative in their contribution to narrative theory. Vladimir Propp’s more formulaic method has been used in this thesis to analyze the structure of each novel.

Department

English & Comparative Literature Department

Degree Name

MA in English & Comparative Literature

Graduation Date

6-1-2017

Submission Date

February 2017

First Advisor

Melaney, William

Committee Member 1

Nimis, Stephen

Committee Member 2

Shoukri, Doris

Extent

52 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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