Research
The Effects of Social Transformations on Family Ties in the Saudi Social Novel: Ibrahim Al-Nassir as a Case Study
This article investigates the social transformations inside the Saudi family and their effect on intimate family ties. Social novels represent a variety of family relationships, some of which are still governed by long-established social customs, while others have been shaped by the modern era and are more appropriate to contemporary lifestyles. This article will begin by comparing the representation of traditional and more modern-style marriages, identifying the most significant changes in social customs as a result of social transformation and using this to understand the foundations of relationships within the Saudi family, particularly those between husband and wife. Two distinct sorts of husband-wife relationships are shown in Saudi narrative discourse. The first is the traditional image of the relationship, which is devoid of emotion and in which the two parties do not cooperate actively. The other, a more modern image of the relationship, appears to be more harmonious and sympathetic. This article will also shed light on parent-child relationships by contrasting traditional and modern images of this relationship in the Saudi social novel. Finally, this article will also examine the generation gap, exploring the critical factors that contributed to its widening. This article will explore al-Nassir's novels as a case study, using concepts from social studies to achieve a better understanding of the nature of family relationships in the context of rapid social transformation.
Saudi Women’s Status in the Social Novel Ibrahim Al-Nassir as a Case Study
The Saudi social novel devotes considerable attention to women as a theme, analyzing and debating several issues concerning them. This article will discuss the status of Saudi women in social novels. The article will look at the reason for this interest in women’s issues. Besides, it will examine the factors that lie behind the weak position of women in Saudi society. Then, it will provide three images of women in the Saudi social novel that symbolize the transformations in Saudi women's status and that appear in al-Nassir’s novels: traditional women, modern women, and radical women. With regards to the first of these types, they do not play an active role in the progress of the fictional events, reflecting the passivity of the role they play in real life. In contrast, their modern and radical counterparts play a central role in the narrative. Finally, this article will deal with the Arab Women's Liberation Movement, which has influenced some of al-Nassir's fiction characters.
