DISCURSIVE STRUGGLES OF MARGINALIZED WOMEN IN THE POLYPHONIC NOVEL “BITTER ORANGE TREE” THROUGH BAKHTIN`S DIALOGUE THEORY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJHPL.935003Keywords:
Arabic Literature, Bitter Orange Tree, Feminist Dialogics, Narrative Resistance, Jokha Al-harthi, PolyphonyAbstract
The novel “bitter Orange Tree” by Omani novelist Jokha al-harthi is characterized by polyphony; the polyphonic structure of the novel allows for a more comprehensive portrayal of its dialogic nature and the characters’ independent voices. Drawing upon “feminist dialogics”, a feminist reconstruction of Mikhail Bakhtin’s dialogic theory, this study conducts a systematic narrative and textual analysis of the novel to explore female discourse power. Specifically, it aims to examine how marginalized women achieve discursive resistance at both micro- and macro-dialogic levels within a polyphonic narrative space. The findings reveal that Al-harthi employs Bakhtinian polyphonic strategies to unfold discursive resistance across three interrelated dimensions. First, at the macro-level, the novel constructs a "chronotope" spanning the diasporic spaces of London and the rural landscapes of Oman, revealing the spiritual diaspora and spatial breakthroughs of female subjects amid historical fragmentation. Second, at the micro-discursive level, marginalized women implicitly resist patriarchal discipline through character dialogues, strategically embedded silences, psychological dislocations, and polyphony. Finally, the "unfinalized" presented at the novel's conclusion shatters the enclosure of historical determinism, reshaping a continuous and creative subjectivity for marginalized women. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of gender politics and narrative innovations in modern Arabic fiction.
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