Representations of Exile and Alienation in Contemporary Women's Fiction: A Reading of a Wet Edge by Azza Sultan.

Representations of Exile and Alienation in Contemporary Women's Fiction: A Reading of a Wet Edge by Azza Sultan.

Section: Article

Abstract





The social and psychological structure of a woman forms an essential part of her identity, as she is a being endowed with deep and complex emotions. For this reason, women often excel at expressing the experience of alienation and estrangement—particularly in a world increasingly dominated by economic savagery that overrides the human nature, which is supposed to lean toward support and compassion. In the short story collection "A Wet Edge" by Egyptian writer Azza Sultan, we find vivid representations of existential estrangement. The author conveys her personal struggles during her professional life in the United Arab Emirates, while also portraying the psychological alienation experienced by individuals within a tense and demanding society. This study will follow two tracks: the first will explore the representations and impacts of estrangement in the stories, and the second will analyze the psychological states embedded in the collection through an artistic lens.





References

  1.  Ma‘rouf, Subhi Abdul-Latif. Psychological Counseling and Educational Guidance. Al-Warraq Publishing and Distribution, Amman–Jordan, 1st ed., 2012.
  2.  Schacht, Richard. Alienation. Trans. Kamil Yusuf Hussein, Arab Institute for Studies and Publishing, Beirut, 1st ed., n.d.
  3.  Hammād, Hassan. The Alienated Man in the Thought of Erich Fromm. Dar al-Kalima Library, Cairo–Egypt, 2005.
  4.  Dakhmoush, Fathiya. The Experience of Alienation and Nostalgia in Ibn Khafajah’s Poetry. M.A. Thesis, Faculty of Arts, Mentouri University, Algeria, 2005.
  5.  Sultan, ‘Izza. A Wet Edge. Bayt al-Hikma Library Collection, Cairo, 1st ed., 2025.
  6.  Khalifa, Muhammad. Studies in the Psychology of Alienation. Dar Gharib, Cairo, 1st ed., 2003.
  7.  Al-Jahiz, Amr ibn Bahr ibn Mahboub al-Kinani al-Laythi Abu ‘Uthman (d. 255 AH). The Epistles of al-Jahiz. Ed. Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun, Maktabat al-Khanji, Cairo, 1st ed., 1964.
  8.  Hamon, Philippe. Semiology of Fictional Characters. Trans. Said Benkrad, Intro. Abdelfattah Kilito, Dar al-Hiwar, Syria, 1st ed., 2013.
  9.  Shahrazuri, Yadkar Latif. “Spatio-Temporal Estrangement in Mahjar Poetry.” Journal of Basic Education College Researches, University of Mosul, Vol. 14, No. 4, 2018.
  10.  Abdul-Rabbuh, Amin Salih Mahmoud. Estrangement and Nostalgia for the Homeland in Palestinian Poetry after the Nakba. PhD Dissertation, Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Arabic Language, Egypt, 1977.
  11.  Ibn Manzur, Muhammad ibn Mukarram ibn Ali, Abu al-Fadl, Jamal al-Din al-Ansari al-Ifriqi (d. 711 AH). Lisan al-‘Arab. Dar Sader, Beirut, 3rd ed., 1414 AH.
  12.  Baudrillard, Jean. Simulation and Simulacra. Trans. Abduh Aboud & Hassan Bourqiya, Dar al-Hiwar, Latakia, 1995.
  13.  Benjamin, Walter. The Arcades Project (Street Cafés Project). Trans. Muhammad Shawqi al-Zein, Ikhtilaf Publications, Algeria, 2013.
  14.  Al-Tunji, Muhammad. The Preferred Dictionary of Literature. Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, Beirut–Lebanon, 1993.
  15.  Anis, Ibrahim et al. Al-Mu‘jam al-Wasit (The Intermediate Dictionary). Maktabat al-Shuruq al-Dawliyya, Cairo, 2nd ed., n.d.
  16.  Ibn Faris, Ahmad ibn Zakariya al-Qazwini al-Razi Abu al-Husayn (d. 395 AH). Mu‘jam Maqayis al-Lugha. Ed. Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, 1979.
  17.  Kaljeen Rad, Ghulam Reza & Afzali, Fereshta. “The Rise and Features of the Short Story in Egypt.” Journal of Contemporary Literature Studies, Islamic Republic of Iran, Year 3, No. 11, 1390 AH.
  18.  Tahtah, Fatima. Estrangement and Nostalgia in Andalusian Poetry. Maktabat al-Najah, Casablanca, 1st ed., 1993.

Identifiers

Statistics

How to Cite

Representations of Exile and Alienation in Contemporary Women’s Fiction: A Reading of a Wet Edge by Azza Sultan.: Representations of Exile and Alienation in Contemporary Women’s Fiction: A Reading of a Wet Edge by Azza Sultan. (2026). Journal of Education for the Humanities , 6(21.1), 294-279. https://doi.org/10.33899/4kzygq33
Copyright and Licensing

How to Cite

Representations of Exile and Alienation in Contemporary Women’s Fiction: A Reading of a Wet Edge by Azza Sultan.: Representations of Exile and Alienation in Contemporary Women’s Fiction: A Reading of a Wet Edge by Azza Sultan. (2026). Journal of Education for the Humanities , 6(21.1), 294-279. https://doi.org/10.33899/4kzygq33