Critique de la société égyptienne dans Al-Tarikah (L’Héritage) et Al-Jabal (La Montagne) de Naguib Mahfouz

Abstract

Critique of Egyptian Society in “Al-Tarikah” (“The Inheritance”) and “Al-Jabal” (“The Mountain”) by Naguib Mahfouz
Theater can serve as a privileged medium of social criticism because it engages with concrete social issues and may encourage audiences to reflect on the tensions represented on stage. This research analyzes how Naguib Mahfouz portrays Egyptian society after the defeat of June 1967 through two complementary plays: “Al-Tarikah” and “Al-Jabal”. The aim is to reveal weakened social structures and moral tensions associated with social modernization and historical circumstances. In “Al-Tarikah”, Mahfouz depicts a generation inheriting books and money without understanding their meaning, while also questioning certain forms of spiritual authority and inherited religious practice. In “Al-Jabal”, he portrays a despotism hidden behind a mask of justice and the erosion of moral principles within a group undergoing a process of radicalization. The characters appear caught between the weight of the past, uncertain visions of the future, and processes of radicalization. The research adopts an analytical, comparative, and socio-critical approach, using stylistic, symbolic, and semantic analysis. It seeks to reassess Mahfouz’s theatrical work and bring greater attention among French-speaking readers to this relatively underexplored aspect of Mahfouz’s work.