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The Environmental Dimension in the Novel: “Trees and the Assassination of Marzouk” by Abdel Rahman Munif

Abstract

This article attempts to reveal the new environmental awareness of the late Saudi novelist Abdul Rahman Munif, in his novel “Trees and the Assassination of Marzouk,” in light of the developments of what has become known as “Ecocriticism”. This endeavor is carried out based on three central questions: What are the values and connotations that nature carries in the novel? And with what backgrounds does it manifest itself? What structural role do natural elements play in this work? The article answers these questions through three main themes, which reveal the writer’s early awareness of contemporary environmental problems, as follows: A- starting from the idea that Man is part of nature, this novel embodies the notion of harmony between them, while maintaining that the inevitable result of any split between Man and nature would lead to misery and diaspora. B - This fictional work contends that the violation of the biosphere (the town of Taybeh) by cutting down its trees, is the direct cause of the destruction of the main space of the narrative, and the misery of its characters. C- The author’s awareness of the fragility of the boundary between humans and animals. The article concludes by revealing the central structural role of nature as a narrative factor, ranging from stimulating the narrative process to curbing it.

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