The research undertaken in this thesis focuses on the reception by different groups of readers in both the Arab and Western worlds of four novels written by Saudi authors: Abdo Khal’s Tarmī bi-sharar… (Throwing Sparks), Raja Alem’s Ṭawq al-Ḥamām (The Dove’s Necklace), Rajaa Alsanea’s Banāt al-riyāḍ (Girls of Riyadh) and Yousef al-Mohaimeed’s Fikhākh al-Rā’iḥa (Wolves of the Crescent Moon). In order to analyse this critical discourse, this study draws on Fish’s (1980) concept of ‘interpretive communities’, combining this with a detailed examination of the socio-cultural and ideological contexts that shaped the reception of these works.
This thesis is divided into eight chapters. Chapter one elaborates the research background, the aims of the study, its significance and the research questions that both motivate and structure this thesis. Chapter Two provides a detailed account of available research and theories related to the Saudi novel and the reception theory as well as the data used and the methodology applied. Chapter Three discusses the political, social and cultural contexts that have shaped the Saudi literary space, detailing how these are reflected in the Saudi novel and the extent to which they have affected its development. Chapter Four highlights the important factors that have significantly affected the status and reception of the contemporary Saudi novel.
Chapters five and six examine the reception of these four contemporary Saudi novels by different groups of Arab readers, focusing on two main groups of readers and readings: Arab journalists, both Saudi and non-Saudi (simplistic readings); and Arab literary critics, both Saudi and non-Saudi (professional readings).
Chapter seven explores how these four Saudi novels have attracted the attention of Anglophone journalists and academics following their translation into English. It argues that the cultural experiences of Anglophone readers differ from those of the original target audience, which influences the act of textual interpretation.
