The Referential Backgrounds of the Imagined Narrative Image in the Novels of Shakir al-Anbari”

Abstract

Abstract :

       The imaginary is understood as a symbolic space that emerges from the interplay between individual and collective consciousness and cultural, religious, and historical references, producing artistic representations that express reality through symbolic means beyond the direct and the familiar. It is not merely literary imagination but rather an intellectual and aesthetic structure that contributes to building and interpreting the textual world.

     This study aims to examine the imaginaries of narrative imagery in the novels of Shakir Al-Anbari through exploring the concept of the imaginary, which is relied upon in shaping narrative images from linguistic, terminological, and historical perspectives. The imaginary is approached not as a fixed phenomenon but as a dynamic concept reflecting cultural and social transformations, playing an important aesthetic role within the literary text. The study also investigates religious references and their impact on forming these imagined images, as they play a central role in constructing meanings and symbols within the narrative texts. This research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach in studying the novels, dividing the study into two main sections: the first deals with the concept of the imaginary and its functions, while the second discusses religious references and their influence on the imagined imagery. The study contributes to expanding the understanding of the relationship between literary imagination and religious references, thereby enhancing the study of narrative imagery in contemporary literature.