The Ambivalent Reception in the East and the West: Mahfouz's Novel Children of our Ally

Abstract

     The purpose of this article is to investigate the duality of East-West perspectives in interpreting literary texts, with Naguib Mahfouz's novel, Children of Our Alley, as a case study. The study aims to identify the reasons behind the divergent analyses and interpretations of the text, with a particular focus on the impact of cultural and historical contexts on literary reception. The research adopts a reception studies approach and examines the following two perspectives: The first one is Eastern Reception which analyses the reception of Children of Our Alley in the Arab world, exploring the significant reviews and research that shed light on how and why the novel has been perceived in a specific way. This study examines the issues related to identity and religion that arise in the context of the Arab world's reception of the novel. Moreover, it analyzes the impact of cultural and political factors on the interpretation of the text in the Arab world. Moreover, the second one is Western Reception which examines the reception of Children of Our Alley in the West, highlighting relevant reviews and research that discuss the differences in interpretation between the East and the West. This study investigates the impact of Western cultural and political contexts on the reception of the novel. Furthermore, it analyzes the differences in interpretation of the novel about issues related to identity and religion. Overall, this article provides a comprehensive analysis of the duality of East-West perspectives in interpreting literary texts. By using Children of Our Alley a case study, this research sheds light on how cultural and historical contexts shape literary reception and interpretation, and how this understanding can contribute to a more nuanced understanding of literature across cultures.