Proverbs, Modified Proverbs and Curses in Two Novels of the Syrian Coast

This thesis considers proverbs, modified proverbs and curses in two novels of the Syrian coast: Muftaraq al-Maṭar by Yūsif al-Maḥmūd, and Anājīl al-Xarāb by Naufal Nayouf. Chapter two presents the theories of proverbs put forward by different scholars. It discusses how can proverbs be either literal or figurative. It also explains what the components of the figurative proverb are. Chapter three applies this theoretical framework to the proverbs selected from both novels. Chapter four presents different theories about the formation of modified proverbs, focusing on Partington’s classification, and applying his categories to modified proverbs in the two novels. Chapter five reviews different scholarly perspectives on curses. Curses in these two novels are then categorized and discussed in accordance with these perspectives. Proverbs are very common in both novels, with 521 proverbs in Muftaraq al-Maṭar and 127 proverbs in Anājīl al-Xarāb. A number of formal features are particularly prominent: assonance and alliteration and morphological and lexical repetition. Figuration is important in both novels, metaphor being the dominant figure of speech. The dominant cultural feature in proverbs in both novels is domestic life. Most proverbs in Muftaraq al-Maṭar are used on the Syrian coast only, giving the novel a very local orientation. In both novels the great majority of modified proverbs originate from folklore. The commonest social function of modified proverbs in Anājīl al-Xarāb is practical advice, while the commonest social function in Muftaraq al-Maṭar is human nature/life/emotion. Rephrasing and substitution are common modified proverb formation techniques in both novels. The dominant semantic relationship of modified proverbs to their original counterparts in both novels is synonymy. While there are a significant number of curses in Muftaraq al-Maṭar, there are only a few curses in Anājīl al-Xarāb. God is a very important cultural feature of curses in both Anājīl al-Xarāb and Muftaraq al-Maṭar, and wishing people harm is also fairly significant in curses in both novels.