The Role of Place in Shaping Narrative and Culture in Palace Walk (Bayn al-Qusrayn) by Naguib Mahfouz

Abstract

This study examines the importance of place in the novel Palace Walk (Bayn al-Quṣrayn), the first part of the Cairo Trilogy by the great Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz. This study analyses the novel’s artistic and aesthetic significance as a pivotal narrative device that shapes events and character development. The study highlights Mahfouz’s use of place as a key element in character conflict and dramatic tension, in addition to framing events within a cultural and social context that reflects the reality of Egypt before and after British colonialism. Moreover, various locations were analysed, from the Egyptian street to homes and rooms within homes, and even mosques, and the description of the shrine of Imam Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Furthermore, the study focused on the narrative's interaction between place and time. It sheds light on Mahfouz's use of positive and negative places as narrative tools to enhance the reader's understanding of the characters and conflicts within the novel.