Black Comedy in the Narratives of Ibrahim Aslan

Abstract

     This article examines, throughout its pages, the technique of black comedy in the narratives of Ibrahim Aslan, as he relies on this technique to critique the reality of his society, revealing the unspoken negative aspects and behavioral deviations prevalent among its individuals and groups. The article draws upon Aslan's narrative output in his novels, short stories, and autobiographies, starting from the issue of Aslan's philosophy in his approach to the technique of black comedy in his narrative.

     This issue raises several questions: What motives led Aslan to rely on black comedy in his narrative? How did he employ it? To what extent was it effective in expressing the unspoken in the text? And has it succeeded in mobilizing the reader's awareness to critique and adjust reality? By answering these questions, the article aims to identify Aslan's philosophy in employing black comedy in his narrative, and to examine its mechanisms and effectiveness in revealing and addressing the negative aspects of reality. Adopting the descriptive-analytical method to present, study, and draw conclusions about the phenomenon, the article is divided into two sections: a theoretical section that reviews the Implications of black comedy in Aslan's narrative world, and an applied section that discusses the manifestations of black comedy, its mechanism of employment, and its significance in his narratives. The article concludes with several findings, namely that Aslan's use of this technique is a manifestation of his maturity as a narrator who was able to express his pains and rejection of the negative aspects of his society and the deviations of its individuals in a humorous form that carries intentional structural significance. The effectiveness of this technique has also proven successful in lifting the veil on the negative aspects of the Egyptian neighborhood and the transgressions against inherited customs and traditions by its members on the one hand, and in mobilizing the reader's awareness to critique and adjust them on the other.