The mythical dimension and its philosophical implications in the novel of (the book of Mirdad) by Mikhail Naimy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31973/jmt62c50Keywords:
philosophical literature, Myth, Book of Mirdad, the philosophical novel, InterpretationAbstract
Mythology has merged with literature, thought, and philosophy throughout the ages. Modern Arabic literature was distinguished by its tendency to employ myth in the first half of the twentieth century, as writers' methods and approaches to dealing with myth varied. Mikhail Naimy emerged in this aspect by employing myth in more than one of his novels. This constituted a prominent feature of the philosophical literature to which he adhered in most of his works. Mikhail Naimy developed a new concept of myth in his philosophical novel "The Book of Mirdad Lighthouse and Port" through the symbolism of the main character (Mirdad) and through his connection between myth, philosophy. He embodied a symbolic philosophical scene of the intellectual journey of the human mind, with myth being its first adventure. This scene intersected with mythological concepts. This was a practical application of his vision of committed literature employed to reform the human psyche, and it was one of the most important features of his reformist intellectual project, which addressed some of the problems of the era through literature. This research aims to study the function performed by myth through the novel text, monitor its philosophical content, and work to analyze, decode, and interpret it. This is done through two axes the first deals with the use of myth in the process of expressing philosophical ideas and visions. The second addresses the use of myth as a critical tool for the ideas and concepts presented by the novel. The research concluded with results that revealed the writer's use of the mythical dimension in the novel to open new horizons for the energies of literature and its function in human life, to realize a deeper and more comprehensive vision of his existence and destiny on this earth. Through myth, he embodied the world of the human psyche and its contradictions, and the research revealed the novel's presentation of an in-depth philosophical vision of the human self in the context of narrating its journey towards inner wisdom. It also revealed a critical vision that links the novel to religion, history, and culture to address the collective consciousness by transcending its intellectual limitations to bring about the desired change and contribute to saving the human condition, in a world where humanity is under threat.
Downloads
References
إلياد، مرسيا، (2024م)، مظاهر الأسطورة، تر: نهاد خياطة، مؤسسة هنداوي، وندسور، المملكة المتحدة.
تودوروف، تزفتان، (1993م)، مدخل إلى الأدب العجائبي، تر: الصديق بوعلام، دار الكلام، ط1، الرباط، المغرب.
ر.م، أليبريس، (1982)، تاريخ الرواية الحديثة، منشورات عويدات، تر: جورج سالم، ط2، بيروت، لبنان.
راسل، برتراند، (2018م)، تاريخ الفلسفة الغربية، تر: زكي نجيب محمود، دار التنوير للطباعة والنشر، ج1، ط1، تونس.
راغب، نبيل، (1996م)، موسوعة الإبداع الأدبي، مكتبة لبنان ناشرون، ط1، بيروت، لبنان.
السيد، شفيع، (1884م)، ميخائيل نعيمة منهجه في النقد واتجاهه في الأدب، دار الفكر العربي، القاهرة، مصر.
شيا، محمد شفيق، (2009م)، في الأدب الفلسفي، المؤسسة الجامعية للدراسات والنشر والتوزيع، بيروت، لبنان.
العبد الله، مها عيسى فتاح، (2016م)، تأويل الأسطورة في كتابات أفلاطون، دار الفارابي، ط1، بيروت، لبنان.
العقاد، عباس محمود، (2006م)، دراسات في المذاهب الأدبية والاجتماعية، نهضة مصر للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع، ط2، القاهرة، مصر.
علوش، مصطفى، (1990م)، الأسطورة في الفلسفة الإغريقية، دار الأرقم للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع، القاهرة، مصر.
عياد، شكري، (1959م) البطل من الأسطورة إلى الأدب، دار المعرفة، القاهرة، مصر.
فاليري، لوك، (2015م)، أجمل قصة في تاريخ الفلسفة، تر: محمود بن جماعة، دار التنوير للطباعة والنشر، ط 1، بيروت، لبنان.
فراي، نورثروب، (1991م)، تشريح النقد، تر: محمد عصفور، مكتبة كل الكتب، منشورات الجامعة الأردنية، عمان، الأردن.
فرويد، سيجموند، (1982م)، الأنا والهو، تر: محمد عثمان نجاتي، دار الشروق، ط4، بيروت، لبنان.
الماضي، شكري عزيز، (2008م)، أنماط الرواية العربية، عالم المعرفة، الكويت.
محمود، زكي نجيب، (2018م)، نظرية المعرفة، مؤسسة هنداوي، وندسور، المملكة المتحدة.
الناعوري، عيسى، (1966م)، أدب المهجر، دار المعارف، ط3، القاهرة، مصر.
يونغ، كارل، (2012م)، الإنسان ورموزه، تر: عبد الكريم ناصيف، دار التكوين للتأليف والترجمة والنشر، ط1، دمشق، سوريا.
Eliade, Mercia, (2024 AD), Aspects of Myth, translated by Nihad Khayata, Hindawi Foundation, Windsor, United Kingdom
Todorov, Tzvetan, (1993 AD), Introduction to Magical Literature, translated by Al Siddiq Boualam, Dar Al Kalam, Ed. 1, El Rebat, Morocco.
R.M., Alibris, (1982 AD), History of the Modern Novel, Awidat Publications, translated by George Salem, Ed 2, Beirut, Lebanese.
Russell, Bertrand, (2018 AD), A History of Western Philosophy, translated by Zaki Najib Mahmoud, Al Tanweer Printing and Publishing House, , Part 1, Ed. 1, Tunis.
Raghib, Nabil, (1996 AD), Encyclopedia of Literary Creativity, Lebanese Publishers Library, Ed. 1, Beirut, Lebanese.
Al-Sayid Shafi (1884 AD), Mikhail Naimy His Methodology in Criticism and His Trend in Literature, Dar Al Fikr Al Arabi, Cairo, Egypt.
Shia, Muhammad Shafiq, (2009 AD), In Philosophical Literature, University Foundation for Studies, Publishing and Distribution, Beirut, Lebanon.
Al-Abdullah, Maha Issa Fattah, (2016 AD), Interpretation of Myth in Plato’s Book, Dar Al Farabi, 1st ed., Beirut, Lebanese.
Al-Akkad, Abbas Mahmoud, (2006 AD), Literary And Social Doctrines Book, Nahdet Misr for Printing, Publishing and Distribution, Ed. 2, Cairo, Egypt.
Alloush, Mustafa, (1990 AD), Myth in Greek Philosophy, Dar Al-Arqam for Printing, Publishing and Distribution, Cairo, Egypt.
Ayyad, Shukri, (1959 AD) The Hero from Myth to Literature, Dar Al-Marifa, Cairo, Egypt
Valery, Luk, (2015), The Most Beautiful Story in the History of Philosophy, translated by Mahmoud Bin Jamaa, Dar Al Tanweer for Printing and Publishing, Ed. 1, Beirut, Lebanese
Frye, Northrop, (1991 AD), Anatomy of Criticism, translated by Mohamed Asfour, All Books Library, University of Jordan Publications, Amman, Jordan
Freud, Sigmund, (1982), The Ego and the Id, translated by: Muhammad Uthman Nagati, Dar Al Shorouk, Ed. 4, Beirut, Lebanese.
Al-Madi, Shukri Aziz, (2008 AD), Patterns of the Arabic Novel, Alam Al Marifa, Kuwait
Mahmoud, Zaki Naguib, (2018 AD), Theory of Knowledge, Hindawi Foundation, Windsor, United Kingdom.
Al-Naouri, Issa, (1966 AD), Literature of the Diaspora, Dar Al Maaref, Ed. 3. Cairo, Egypt.
Jung, Carl, (2012), Man and His Symbols, translated by Abd Al-Karim Nassif, Dar Al-Takween for Authorship, Translation and Publishing, Ed. 1, Damascus, Syria.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Amel Jasim Mohamed Alshamsi, Dr. Badeeah Khaleel Alhashemi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright and Licensing:
For all articles published in Al-Adab journal, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted provided that the original published version is cited. These conditions allow for maximum use and exposure of the work.
Reproducing Published Material from other Publishers: It is absolutely essential that authors obtain permission to reproduce any published material (figures, schemes, tables or any extract of a text) which does not fall into the public domain, or for which they do not hold the copyright. Permission should be requested by the authors from the copyrightholder (usually the Publisher, please refer to the imprint of the individual publications to identify the copyrightholder).
Permission is required for: Your own works published by other Publishers and for which you did not retain copyright.
Substantial extracts from anyones' works or a series of works.
Use of Tables, Graphs, Charts, Schemes and Artworks if they are unaltered or slightly modified.
Photographs for which you do not hold copyright.
Permission is not required for: Reconstruction of your own table with data already published elsewhere. Please notice that in this case you must cite the source of the data in the form of either "Data from..." or "Adapted from...".
Reasonably short quotes are considered fair use and therefore do not require permission.
Graphs, Charts, Schemes and Artworks that are completely redrawn by the authors and significantly changed beyond recognition do not require permission.
Obtaining Permission
In order to avoid unnecessary delays in the publication process, you should start obtaining permissions as early as possible. If in any doubt about the copyright, apply for permission. Al-Adab Journal cannot publish material from other publications without permission.
The copyright holder may give you instructions on the form of acknowledgement to be followed; otherwise follow the style: "Reproduced with permission from [author], [book/journal title]; published by [publisher], [year].' at the end of the caption of the Table, Figure or Scheme.
How to Cite
