The Influence of the Cultural References on the Construction of the Narrative Context: A Case Study of Professor Hani al-Rahib's Novel “I Have Drawn a Line on the Sand”

Abstract

The research dealt with the folkloric legacies and their impact on the artistic construction of the novel I Have Drawn a Line on the Sand, where the writer depended on various forms of folkloric legacies including: Historical, mythical, literary, in addition to cultural ones which are based on religious books. These legacies collaborated to add indicative mood through illusion, far away from directness which causes a loss in the literary sense of the literary work.
On the other hand, the writer employed these legacies with a contemporary vision that showed the author›s wisdom and creativity in artistically forming those legacies. As a result, the historical and the imaginary characters played the role of presenting the writer›s ideas, a matter that points to the great interaction between the past and present to look at the future. Based on this, these legacies were not a burden on the novel; instead, they were a part of its construction and context.
Overall, the writer highlighted the problems of modern Arab men, which came from the discovery of oil in a number of Arab countries. Examples of the most prominent problems include the absence of the role of intellectuals and their cultural status, besides the conflict between the Arab countries, which led to a division and weakness in the nation.