The Formal Experimentation and Its Reflections on the Content of Journalistic Short Stories (Short Stories from Al-Mada Newspaper in Iraq as a Model)

Abstract

Experimentation is the conscious creative effort exerted by the writer to break away from traditional narrative molds and to disrupt familiar patterns through the investment of narrative techniques. This experimentation is represented by a set of artistic tools, varying between non-linear narration, cinematic cutting, and the technique of meta-narration, as well as the use of mythological symbols and visual elements. These methods are not merely formal decorations but are effective mediums in shaping a literary discourse capable of approaching reality in a symbolic and interpretive manner.

The research is based on an analytical-descriptive methodology, focusing on the analysis of three selected short stories from Al-Mada newspaper in Iraq: "Library of Victims" by Abdullah Sakhi, "Dreams... An Iraqi Owl" by Ali Hadad, and "The Secret of the Little One" by Suad Al-Jazaeri. The main objective is to demonstrate the effect of formal experimentation in reshaping collective consciousness through condensed and symbolic narrative language. The research concluded that experimentation was not just a stylistic choice but an artistic and literary necessity imposed by the complexities of the Iraqi reality, contributing to the reformation of the narrative text as an interpretive space that expresses collective tragedy.

These short stories demonstrate a keen awareness of time; narrative time no longer flows in a straight line, but rather breaks down into a fluid spectrum that shifts between past and future, condensing into pivotal moments or being recalled through flashbacks. This temporal shift, whether through flashbacks or temporal condensation, reflects the fragmentation of contemporary Iraqi reality, where the boundaries between memory and present dissolve, and individual experiences emerge as echoes of broader national struggles.