THE PLAYS OF WALID IKHLASI: A STUDY IN THEME AND STRUCTURE (SYRIA).
Item
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Title
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THE PLAYS OF WALID IKHLASI: A STUDY IN THEME AND STRUCTURE (SYRIA).
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Identifier
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AAI8319768
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identifier
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8319768
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Creator
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GOURYH, ADMER G.
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Contributor
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Daniel G. Gerould
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Date
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1983
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater
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Abstract
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This study examines the drama of the Syrian playwright Walid Ikhlasi, analyzing each play to show how its structural elements are organically bound up with its theme. Discussion of both Western and Arab dramatic modes show how Ikhlasi both experiments with Western dramatic forms and draws on elements peculiarly Syrian or Arab. Ikhlasi's attempt to synthesize European and Middle Eastern dramatic forms and techniques is considered in relation to the socio-political and cultural changes in the Arab World.;The introduction traces the historical development of modern Syrian drama, and defines Ikhlasi's position amongst twentieth-century Syrian playwrights. A brief account of Ikhlasi's short stories and novels is also included.;The body of this study is divided into five chapters by theme. Chapter I focuses on the plays that deal with the national question, i.e., national unity and national independence; the protagonists in these plays symbolize the collective or the nation. Chapter II studies such political problems as the decay of feudalism, the degradation of a bourgeois class, opportunism and bureaucracy, political repression and the defeat of democracy in Syria. The individual, seen as the product of both a social class and a political system, appears either as an opportunist or as a powerless and frustrated intellectual advocating responsible freedom and human justice. Chapter III examines plays on the social predicament, revealing the tragic effects of antiquated thought and traditions on the lives of young men and women. The conflict is mainly between the older and the younger generation. The plays of Chapter IV have philosophical undertones, focusing on issues that go beyond the social and political characteristics of any specific society. Man in these plays is confronted with fate, freedom, life and death. Chapter V considers plays that touch upon the predicament of artists and art in a society plagued with commercialism and censorship.;The conclusion summarizes and synthesizes the main points established in the earlier chapters and offers an overall evaluation of Ikhlasi's career as a playwright. There is also a comprehensive bibliography on modern Syrian drama and a bibliography of Ikhlasi's plays, short stories, novels and articles. An appendix includes original English translations of Al-Muta 21 (Pleasure 21, 1965), Sahra Dimogratia (A Democratic Evening Party, 1971) and Maqam Ibrahim wa Saffia (The Shrine of Ibrahim and Saffia, 1980).
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Theatre
