A Study of Character Discourse in the Novel I’jaam Based on Paul Simpson’s Stylistic Theory

Authors
sonia Mohamadi alibari
Ali Bashiri
Hosain Imanian
Kashan University
Abstract




Analysis of Character Discourse in the Novel I‘jām Based on Paul Simpson’s Stylistic Theory

Abstract

Contemporary Iraqi literature, profoundly shaped by the tyranny of the Ba'athist era and successive wars, serves as a significant medium for representing human experiences in the face of power and identity. Sinan Antoon's novel I'jaam (2004) stands out by employing the unique stylistic technique of an "unpointed text"—omitting the diacritical marks of Arabic letters—to create semantic ambiguity and dual readings, thereby reflecting the atmosphere of intimidation and uncertainty inherent in a totalitarian system. Despite the novel's prominence in post-colonial literature, stylistic analyses focusing on the linguistic mechanisms of characterization remain scarce. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, the present study explores characterization in I'jaam within the theoretical framework of Paul Simpson to elucidate how socio-political themes are reflected in the narrative and linguistic layers of the text. To this end, narrative elements and behavioral patterns of the characters are evaluated based on Simpson’s modal grammar and stylistic components. The findings indicate that the author, through specific linguistic choices, portrays a character caught in the conflict between agency (internal resistance) and passivity (external subjugation). Analysis reveals that the high frequency of mental processes and epistemic modalities in the narrator’s discourse signifies psychological instability and identity fragmentation caused by the pressures of the security apparatus. Furthermore, the first-person point of view, by limiting the reader’s awareness to the narrator’s incomplete information, directly immerses the reader in the lived experience of censorship and oppression. Additionally, the use of passive constructions and the deletion of agency in prison-related segments denote the character’s loss of autonomy and subjecthood before the ruling power. The results of this study demonstrate the efficacy of Simpson's model in explaining the relationship between linguistic forms and connotative meanings in contemporary narrative texts.
Keywords
Keywords: Stylistics
Characterization
I'jaam
Sinan Antoon
Paul Simpson
contemporary Arabic literature
Narratology
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