Date of Graduation
5-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in English (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
English
Advisor/Mentor
Keith Booker
Committee Member
Toni Jensen
Second Committee Member
William Quinn
Keywords
American Literature, Fantasy, Middle East
Abstract
What follows is a Master’s Thesis in which an insight is given into four Middle East-inspired contemporary American fantasy novels: The Desert of Souls (2011) by Howard Andrew Jones, Throne of the Crescent Moon (2012) by Saladin Ahmed, The City of Brass (2017) by S. A. Chakraborty, and Alif the Unseen (2012) by G. Willow Wilson. In the first part of the thesis I disclose the political implications which the mentioned novels carry. These are inspired by the past and contemporary political developments in the Middle East, and are meant to both criticize the said, but more importantly, to depict the existing internal actions for change. By presenting a complex political setting, there is an attempt to combat stereotypes of Middle Eastern political passivism. The second part of the thesis focuses on socio-religious and cultural presentation of the Middle East that is to a great degree fantasized, and as such is meant to entertain and bring about understanding of the Middle Eastern cultures and religions to the American readership.
Citation
Ibisi, S. (2018). Middle Eastern Themes in Contemporary American Fantasy: The Political and Socio-Religious Implications. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2690