From the Imagined to the Virtual: The Transformation of Spatial Narratives in Modern Novels

Abstract

interacting with place to an extent that is no less important than the role of the protagonist in the novel. Indeed, we may not be exaggerating if we say that place can assume the role of the protagonist, occasionally seizing centrality and competing for it.

Place is an element that brings together all the other components of the novel. We see characters interacting with place as an active and influential factor in shaping the event and its escalation. Hence, the idea emerged to study place in modern novels and to observe the significant transformations that have affected place as it ascends from the imagined to the virtual. We chose the novel "Tashari" by Inaam Kachachi as a model for exploring place and conducting our modest critical approach.

The study reached a set of results, the most prominent of which are: the place within the novel has the greatest advantage and the fundamental role in framing the character’s activities within the structure of the novel, and through it we see that the character has reached its limits in interaction and fusion within the crucible of the place; if the place is one of the imaginary elements within the novel, then thanks to the technological influence it has also been transformed into a virtual place related to the technological aspect and developments, which is what we found, for example, in the virtual cemetery that has become a dream dreamed of by immigrants and displaced persons.