Manifestations of Écriture Féminine in Sahar Khalifeh’s Novel “ʿAbbād al-Shams”

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant professor, Department of Arabic Language and Litrature, Faculty of Humanities, Kosar University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran

2 Assistant professor, Department of Arabic Language Translation, Faculty of Humanities, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran

Abstract
Écriture féminine is a mode of literary expression and narration that foregrounds women’s lived experiences, identity, emotions, voice, and agency, thereby representing the world from a feminine perspective. It can manifest itself through the thematic, linguistic, and narrative features of a literary work. In this context, Sahar Khalifeh, a prominent Palestinian woman novelist devotes particular attention in her novel “ʿAbbād al-Shams” to social issues, especially the situation of Palestinian women under occupation. She portrays the awakening of Palestinian women to their own capabilities and, consequently, challenges the notion of female weakness. Employing a descriptive-analytical method, this study examines the most prominent manifestations and features of écriture féminine in “ʿAbbād al-Shams”. The findings indicate that the use of Standard Arabic, female agency and the assertion of female roles, women’s body writing, taboo and offensive words, the expression of complaint and dissatisfaction in female discourse, linguistic intensifiers, the expression of women’s emotions and feelings, indirect directives, and tag questions are among the most significant manifestations of feminine writing in the novel. Through the dialogue of her characters, the author portrays the oppression of Palestinians by the occupiers, as well as the subjugation of women by men. Linguistic intensifiers in Sunflowers manifest through repetition, the use of words such as 'very' and 'never,' as well as through imperative verbs and emphatic syntactic structures, including the absolute object (Maf'ul Mutlaq) and various forms of oaths. On the other hand, women’s writing in this novel is manifested through female polyphony, emotional language, and the representation of women’s psychological states. This approach transforms women from objects of narration into subjects with their own voices and critical perspectives. Furthermore, women’s experiences are intertwined with concepts such as homeland, occupation, and resistance, ultimately contributing to a critique of the patriarchal structure of society.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 September 2026