The Phenomenology of Space in Naguib Mahfouz’s Khan al-Khalili Based on Gaston Bachelard’s the Poetics of Space

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

shiva sadeghi

mohammad reza beigi

استادیار گروه زبان و ادبیات عرب دانشکده ادبیات و زبانهای خارجه دانشگاه پیام نور، تهران، ایران.

https://doi.org/10.22067/jall.2026.97019.1620

Abstract

In modern novels, space has evolved beyond a physical backdrop into an active element that shapes identity and narrative meaning. Drawing upon Gaston Bachelard's phenomenology of space, this research explores the role of space in Naguib Mahfouz’s novel, Khan al-Khalili. The core problem of the study is how narrative spaces, particularly the house, drawers, chests, corners, and the dialectics of inside and outside, represent and organize the characters' lived experiences, memory, and imagination. Utilizing a qualitative-analytical method based on a phenomenological reading, the study extracts descriptive spatial propositions from the novel’s text to analyze them. In this approach, space is viewed not as a background, but as a dynamic factor shaping the actions and inner worlds of the characters. Findings indicate that the house in Mahfouz’s novel serves as the focal point for memory and the psychological continuity of the characters. Elements such as drawers and chests act as physical and mental repositories for safeguarding secrets and hidden experiences. Corners provide opportunities for introspection and the reconstruction of internal experiences in the face of failure. At the same time, the dialectic of inside and outside illustrates how characters' experiences form at the boundary between mental sanctuary and social pressure. Ultimately, this research shows that space in this novel is a meaning-making mechanism that, through poetic spatialization, contributes to the development of character identity and the narrative’s phenomenological richness.

Keywords

phenomenology

space

imagination

Khan al-Khalili

Naguib Mahfouz

Subjects

• Literary Criticism

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