Spatial dualities in the collection (Bleeding of the Mountain) stories by Nawaf Khalaf Al-Sinjari

Spatial dualities in the collection (Bleeding of the Mountain) stories by Nawaf Khalaf Al-Sinjari

Section: Article
Issue
Vol. 6 No. 21.1 (2026): Al-Hamdaniya Conference

Keywords:

Binaries - place- Bleeding of the Mountain- Collection of short stories

Abstract





Space is regarded as an active element in the artistic structure of the narrative work. It is the textual domain upon which events occur and characters move, serving as the fundamental container of the artistic creation. For this reason, spatial binaries were selected to be the core of this study, as they played a significant role in both the structural and semantic aspects of the short texts in the collection "The Bleeding of the Mountain". Moreover, this collection possesses a unique thematic dimension, being one of the few narrative works that documented the tragedy and humanitarian catastrophe that befell a vital component of the Iraqi people—specifically, the brutal massacre suffered by members of the Yazidi community in the Sinjar region and its surroundings.


This research employs a critical approach on two main levels:


1.     Theoretical Level: This part addresses the definition of space and its types, as well as the concept of the very short story, summarizing the most significant opinions presented regarding these two concepts.


2.      Applied Level: This part provides an analytical reading of the oppositional spatial binaries, focusing on two key binaries that dominated the artistic depiction of space in these texts:


The binary of public space / private space, and


The binary of natural space / artificial (constructed) space





References

  1.  Ahmed Jassim Hussein (2010). The Very Short Story: An Analytical Approach. Syria: Dar Al-Takween for Authorship, Translation, and Publishing.
  2.  Itidal Othman (1986). Aesthetics of Space. Aqlam Magazine (2), p. 76.
  3.  Amira Meziani (2016). Aesthetics of Space in the Short Story Collection (On the Other Shore) by Zahour Ounissi. Algeria: Faculty of Arts and Languages, University of Larbi Ben M'hidi.
  4.  Jamil Hamdawi. (2013). Studies in the Very Short Story. Algeria: Al-Aloka Library.
  5.  Hussein Al-Manasra. (2015). The Very Short Story - Visions and Aesthetics. Irbid, Jordan: Modern Book World.
  6.  Shaima Muhammad Al-Shammari. (2020). Spaces of Death in the Collection (Bleeding of the Mountain) by Nawaf Al-Sinjari. First Edition. Baghdad: General Union of Writers and Authors in Iraq.
  7.  Abdul Rahman Badawi. (1980). Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Vol. 1. Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing.
  8.  Abdul Hakim Sulaiman Al-Maliki. (2015). The Very Short Story and the Narrative Approach (On Possible Narrative Approaches). North-South Magazine, Issue 6.
  9.  Gaston Bachelard. (1984). The Aesthetics of Space, translated by Ghaleb Halasa. Beirut-Lebanon: University Foundation for Studies, Publishing and Distribution.
  10.  Lazhar Saker. (25 September 2019). The Poetics of Space in the Very Short Story - The Collection: "A Shower... and Winter Begins" by Jamal Bou Tayeb as a Model. Magazine of Problems in Language and Literature, p. 491.
  11.  Muhammad Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Jumaili. (2013). The Narrative Universe: Narrative Mechanisms and Representations of Meaning: An Analytical Reading of Haitham Bahnam Bardi's Short Stories. Iraq-Mosul: Al-Diyar Press-Sharfat.
  12.  Muhammad Bu Azza. (2010). Narrative Text Analysis (Techniques and Concepts). Beirut: Arab House for Science Publishers-Ikhtilaf Publications.
  13.  Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Mino. (2007). The Art of the Short Story: Initial Approaches. Dubai: Dubai Educational Zone.
  14.  Muhammad Yusuf Gharib. (2013). The Poetics of the Very Short Story in Algeria. Algeria: Faculty of Arts and Languages, Mouloud Mammeri University.
  15.  Nabhan Hassoun Al-Saadoun. (2012). The Poetics of Place in the Very Short Story - An Analytical Reading of the Short Story Collections (1989-2008) by Haitham Bahnam Barada. Damascus: Tammuz Printing and Publishing House.
  16.  Nawaf Khalaf Al-Sinjari. (2020). Bleeding of the Mountain. First Edition. Baghdad: General Union of Parents and Writers in Iraq.
  17.  Yassin Al-Nassir. (1986). The Problem of Place in Literary Texts - A Critical Study. Baghdad: General Directorate of Cultural Affairs.
  18.  Yassin Al-Nassir. (1986). The Novel and Place. Baghdad: General Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Short Encyclopedia Series, Dar Al-Hurriyah Printing House.
  19.  Yassin Al-Nassir. (1986). The Novel and Place. Baghdad: General Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Dar Al-Hurriyah Printing House.
  20.  Yuri Lotman. (1987). The Problem of Artistic Space. Oyoun Al-Maqalat Magazine.

Author

Marleen Sabri Youhanna

University of Al-Hamdaniya / College of Education for Humanities

Identifiers

DOI: 10.33899/7a2w0188

Statistics

How to Cite

Spatial dualities in the collection (Bleeding of the Mountain) stories by Nawaf Khalaf Al-Sinjari: Spatial dualities in the collection (Bleeding of the Mountain) stories by Nawaf Khalaf Al-Sinjari. (2026). Journal of Education for the Humanities , 6(21.1). https://doi.org/10.33899/7a2w0188
Copyright and Licensing
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Spatial dualities in the collection (Bleeding of the Mountain) stories by Nawaf Khalaf Al-Sinjari: Spatial dualities in the collection (Bleeding of the Mountain) stories by Nawaf Khalaf Al-Sinjari. (2026). Journal of Education for the Humanities , 6(21.1). https://doi.org/10.33899/7a2w0188