Counter-narratives and the themes of centrality and marginality in the novel "The Fame of That Woman Who Inspired Me" by Fatiha al-Hadi Rahmoun An approach in light of cultural criticism

One of the most important trends in cultural criticism is the study of the center and the margin. This trend focuses on the data of texts in depicting the problems of cultural reality and approaches feminist writings that oppose male centrality. This research paper relies on the descriptive-analytical approach in its treatment of the novel "The Fame of That Woman Who Inspired Me." The research concludes that the novel is a counter-narrative that seeks to undermine male centrality and extricate the feminine entity from marginality. The novel seeks to dismantle the centrality of masculinity, as it depicts the possibility of escaping the existing cultural narrowness and reaching achievement, creativity and the eloquent level for the female when endowed with authentic awareness, and the novel consecrates it by leaving the initial place and traveling to the Algerian city of Sharia, where the relationship between the two parties is based on acceptance and recognition. The counter-narrative text seeks to restore legitimacy to the female entity in Arab society, as the narrative text calls for rebellion against the existing cultural systems by depicting Shahrour’s protest against the bad behaviors issued by his wife, Adel, and his superior view, which made her refuse to communicate with him, as well as Shahrour’s marriage to her second husband, who appreciates her and acknowledges her favor, and depicts his life before Shahrour’s departure, where the glow of life and dreams Its effectiveness is a rejection and refutation of the abhorrent cultural trend that views marriage to divorcees as a source of shame and disgrace for a person. The counter-narrative text also opposes the physical tendency of men and emphasizes that the feminine entity represents the spiritual dimension that enables the masculine entity to rise and transcend.
Keywords: Cultural criticism, centralism, inspiration, design, narration, Fatiha Al-Hadi Rahmon, the narration of the fame of Talaq al-Muratna al-Hamtani.
The writer narrates the Algerian city of Tebessa and depicts its cultural diversity, as she points out the state of cultural alienation there and the fascination with the Western, in contrast to the lack of inclusion of the Arab person, which forms an image of the negativity of cultural reality. The character of Al-Adel and his relationship with Shahra represent the state of oppressive masculinity of the man and the state of marginalization of the woman represented by Shahra and his confessions to her second husband about the absence of the effectiveness of the place and its suffering as a result of Shahra's death, affirming the effectiveness of the feminine entity to lift it from marginality and destabilize the centrality of the man. The creative writer also embodies the paradox between the two places in raising the issue of centrality and marginality and the counter-text's attempt to undermine it. The first setting is characterized by injustice, masculinity, and the marginalization of women. The second setting is characterized by the relationship between men and women, respect, and acceptance in the city of Sharia. The consecration of this type of relationship and the recognition of the effectiveness of the feminine entity in Sharia is a textual attempt to confront the centrality of men and the marginalization of women. In this novel, the writer seeks to undermine male centrality and confront the cultural orientation that views the female body as forbidden, forbidden to approach or interact with. In refuting this belief, the narrator attributes the spiritual dimension to the feminine entity through the tongue of Shohrat's second husband, making it synonymous with creativity, light, and life. The writer also highlights the paradox between the culture of the educated individual and his rejection of the cultural system that rejects the existence of women. She makes the spatial element the fundamental element in presenting the issue of center and margin.