Narrative and the Feminine of the Language A Study in Maysaloon Hadi's Zainab, Mary and Yasmeen

Abstract

Zainab, Mary and Yasmeen (2012), is a novel written by the prominent Iraqi writer Maysaloon Hadi (1954- ). Maysaloon Hadi is known for her writings about woman's issues, childhood and the cultural identity. She believes that writing about woman is uneasy thing because woman can not reveal her feelings and attitudes openly. Woman is still unable to evoke her inner hidden world. For this reason, the novelist takes the responsibility to manifest the feminine awareness not in a form of defending its special closed presence but to be able to comprehend, to reveal truths and to take clear attitude. This is done by transforming the awareness of what the fictional character embodies artistically into what it embodies on the level of visions and attitudes. For this reason, this paper unfolds the status of woman in her search for her lost self in a patriarchal society, a society that is made of different religions and sectors but it becomes a connected unit in humanity. This paper is divided into three sections. Section one deals with the importance of the fictional character in revealing the feminine awareness and its ability to comprehend the truth of what is going on in the society. Whereas section two illuminates the female inner world and how it is constructed through the form of the novel. The form of the novel becomes a symbol to the Iraqi society after 2003. Section three deals with certain female expressions. They are used either in apparent situations or in concluded situations. Such expressions are used intentionally by the novelist in an attempt to make the language of the novel more feminine. The paper ends up with a conclusion that sums up the findings.