The opening in Ghassan Kanafani's letters to Ghada al-Samman (A socio-psychological study)

Abstract

The opening of a text constitutes a crucial threshold in its structure, serving as the element that captivates the recipient and provides access to the main content. The opening plays a central role in shaping the composition of a letter, particularly since letters, as a form of prose, are often concise and condensed. Given the significance of Ghassan Kanafani's letters to Ghada Al-Samman—both as a documentation of the literary and political landscape of that period—I found it necessary to examine their openings. I observed that the psychological and social dimensions dominate the introductory structure of these letters. Therefore, my study will focus exclusively on the psychological and social aspects of the letters. As an introduction to this study, I addressed the concept of incipit (textual opening), then proceeded to examine its function and importance. The research is divided into two sections: The first section is devoted to the psychological analysis of the letters, based on the notion that literature is an artistic expression of what stirs within the human psyche—emotions, sensations, and subconscious impulses. The psychological approach is intrinsically linked to literary creation, and psychological criticism has become an integral part of literary analysis. The second section focuses on social issues, a foundational aspect of literary and critical studies. This approach stems originally from historical criticism, as the historical context—through the dual axes of time and space—naturally gave rise to the social approach. Social criticism considers literature as a creative reflection of societal phenomena and human experience within a particular cultural and historical framework. After a close analytical reading of Ghassan Kanafani’s letters to Ghada al-Samman, the study concludes that epistolary writing is a significant literary prose form that is now nearly extinct due to the rise of modern digital communication. The shift towards brief text messaging has led to a decline in long-form, handwritten letter writing. It became evident that Kanafani consistently infused his expressions of love with pain—an aesthetic fusion likely rooted in his exposure to Arabic literary heritage. Indeed, anyone familiar with classical Arabic love poetry and the biographies of famous lovers can sense the deep intertwining of love, pain, and separation. Furthermore, Kanafani’s personal suffering and the tragic events his occupied homeland endured deeply shaped the emotional tone of his letters.