Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

A new theory in the story

Can a story on meters be like poems?

Introduction

Written by: M.A.RAJABY

 

 

Proving that stories follow certain structures, just like poetry meters in Arabic, was my biggest dream, this feeling lurked deep down in my being, just as a belief that was built on insufficient information, but now the time has come for this dream to become a reality.

 

This book holds within its folds a new theory about stories; it contains a comprehensive methodology that seeks to prove beyond doubt that stories move according to specific structures that amount to thirteen.   

 

When I first embarked on this theory, I collected a large number of children’s books, and started analyzing them according to a questionnaire (which I named the structural gist questionnaire). The questionnaire’s vocabulary was based on the fact that every story is made up of a problem and a solution. And as I progressed further in my task, and through the use of analytical methods I found out that there are other elements that should be taken into consideration, these are closer to reality and give a much more accurate answers from a practical point of view, till the questionnaire reached its final form in this book.

 

 

 

 

Then I started to analyze hundreds of stories, which I divided into the cause of the problem or prerogative (look at the definition of these two terms inside the book), which led me to find out that these can be listed under thirteen groups, every group has certain characteristics that are linked together by one element; I called these groups (the structure), I used this term, because it points to the existence of a fixed structure that has clear and specific characteristics, and we can use it as a base for other models.

 

Afterwards I moved to stories that target adults; admittedly, working with bigger stories was much harder for many reasons; unlike children’s books that have clear elements, simple structure, and stay away from using symbols, adults books are the exact opposite. I must admit I had some difficulty in analyzing some of the stories especially those enveloped with mystery and suspense, but I got over this particular obstacle at the end.

 

Despite this hard and tiring work, I must say I was alleviated every time I read a new story because it came to prove the correctness of my theory, and every time I suspected the existence of a new structure, I found out that this was not true.

 

 

 

 

I then defined each of these structures, sited some examples, and to avoid getting back to the model stories, I summarized them, put forward the place of publication, so that those who interested can get back to them at any time.

 

I derived the names of these structures from their Arabic roots, relying on four Arabic rhythms which are (Afoula, Tafael, faola, fawal and Afael). In this theory I invented a number of new phrases and put them in an index, in addition to an English introduction at the end of the book.

 

Even though the research material in this book uses short stories, it can still be applied to novels, for no matter how the novel varies in its space and characters, it strives to achieve a basic need that can use the articles of this theory, indeed I have done just in this book, and put forward tow models for Nagib Mahfouz and Marcaize.

 

Through this theory I believe that I am trying to serve literature in general, and promise writers and critics alike to introduce a large critical proposal that depends in part on this theory, and with one goal in mind, which is to bring literature into the active and popular domain. I do not pretend under any circumstances that I will be the one to implement this huge dream, but I will try to put the cornerstone for it, and I wish it will grow to thousands upon thousands of stones.

 

I do not assume that this theory has destroyed every other theory before it either, but I can say that it is a serious attempt to study literature closely, and away from critical terrorism, and the extreme comments of some critics who made literature and its art into gibberish that could only be comprehended by those who love literature.

 

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

This piece is taken from the book was published in Arabic, and soon will  be published in English, and it written by Jordanian writer (Mahmoud Alrajaby) who has a pen name in English (M.A.RAJABY).