An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “<i>The Fqih</i>”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach

Mahdia Abarchah

doi:doi:10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11

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An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach

Mahdia Abarchah

Published in Arabic Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 8, Issue 2)

Received: 6 September 2023 Accepted: 26 September 2023 Published: 9 October 2023

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Abstract

The study borrows the term "entropy" from physics—the second law of thermodynamics—to refer to the development of a chaotic concept of Islam in Paul Bowles’ short stories, particularly, “The Fqih”. To analyze the text and dig out this conceptual entropy, the paper will draw on two analytical strategies: Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiological approach, namely, the study of the paradigmatic and syntagmatic levels of the text in order to trace the meaning and the value of the word Fqih both in its cultural context and through its dynamic function along the narrative. Second, the analysis will apply some elements of “Speech Acts” theory, founded by J. L Austin, and John Searle, basically, the illocutionary and perlocutionary acts, so as to clarify how the Fqih’s words contribute to the development of the main incidents in the story. Moreover, the story itself will be treated as a discourse addressing the readers. The course of the article, then, tends to be a process of applying both structural and discursive tools, underlining their functions and interaction within and without the short story. The focal point behind these procedures is to discuss the following questions: How was a chaotic image of Islam elaborated within the texture of the short story, “The Fqih”? What could be the source of such entropic construct? and what would be the impact of this textual phenomenon on both Moroccan and Western readers? Answering these questions aims at unveiling analytically how cultural differences could contribute to structuring an entropic image of Islam via literary narratives. The final question, then, is how to put constraints on the flow of such misinterpretation of Islam?

Published in	Arabic Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 8, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11
Page(s)	14-18
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Entropy, Fqih, Islam, Semiology, Speech Acts, Constraints

References

[1]	Kelbert, E. (2021). “Entropy as a Trope: Yuri Lotman’s General Theory of Communication as a Case Study in Interdisciplinary.” Retrieved from Sav.sk/journals/12141510WLS_4_2021.
[2]	Gordon, W. F., (2023). “Entropy: Physics”. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/entropy-physics
[3]	De Saussure, F. (1983). Course in General Linguistics. Trans. Roy Harris. London: Duckworth, p. 122.
[4]	Bowles, P., (1990). Collected Stories. Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Press. (pp. 377, 378).
[5]	Austin, J. L., (1962). How to Do Things with Words, J. O. Urmson, ed., Oxford: Oxford: Clarendon Press.
[6]	Searle, J. R., (1969). Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge University Press.
[7]	Hébert. L. (2002). “The Actantial Model”. Retrieved from http://www.signosemio.com/greimas/actantial-model.asp
[8]	Eco. E. (1984). Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, p. 81.
[9]	Wikipedia. “Paul Bowles”. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bowles#:~:text=In%20the%201960s%20Bowl
[10]	Maier. J. (1996). Desert Songs: Western Images of Morocco and Moroccan Images of the West. (SUNY Series, The Margins of Literature. Albany: State University of New York Press, p. 214.
[11]	Labdounane, Y. & Lassri; S. (2017). “The Representation of Morocco in Paul Bowles’s The Sheltering Sky”. Retrieved fromacademia.edu/38087973/The_Representation_of_Morocco_in_Paul_Bowless_The_Sheltering_Sky.
[12]	Wennerberg, H. (1969). “The Concept of Family Resemblance in Wittgenstein’s Later Philosophy. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-2567.1967.tb00614.x
[13]	Searle, J. R., (1987). “Philosophy Overdose: Ludwig Wittgenstein”. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/
[14]	Bengrad, S. (2003) Semiotics: Its concepts and Application. Casablanca: Printing House: The New Success, p. 18.
[15]	Wikipedia. “Entropy as an Arrow of Time.” Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia

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Mahdia Abarchah. (2023). An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach. Arabic Language, Literature & Culture, 8(2), 14-18. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11

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Mahdia Abarchah. An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach. Arab. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2023, 8(2), 14-18. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11

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Mahdia Abarchah. An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach. Arab Lang Lit Cult. 2023;8(2):14-18. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11

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@article{10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11,
  author = {Mahdia Abarchah},
  title = {An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach},
  journal = {Arabic Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {8},
  number = {2},
  pages = {14-18},
  doi = {10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.allc.20230802.11},
  abstract = {The study borrows the term "entropy" from physics—the second law of thermodynamics—to refer to the development of a chaotic concept of Islam in Paul Bowles’ short stories, particularly, “The Fqih”. To analyze the text and dig out this conceptual entropy, the paper will draw on two analytical strategies: Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiological approach, namely, the study of the paradigmatic and syntagmatic levels of the text in order to trace the meaning and the value of the word Fqih both in its cultural context and through its dynamic function along the narrative. Second, the analysis will apply some elements of “Speech Acts” theory, founded by J. L Austin, and John Searle, basically, the illocutionary and perlocutionary acts, so as to clarify how the Fqih’s words contribute to the development of the main incidents in the story. Moreover, the story itself will be treated as a discourse addressing the readers. The course of the article, then, tends to be a process of applying both structural and discursive tools, underlining their functions and interaction within and without the short story. The focal point behind these procedures is to discuss the following questions: How was a chaotic image of Islam elaborated within the texture of the short story, “The Fqih”? What could be the source of such entropic construct? and what would be the impact of this textual phenomenon on both Moroccan and Western readers? Answering these questions aims at unveiling analytically how cultural differences could contribute to structuring an entropic image of Islam via literary narratives. The final question, then, is how to put constraints on the flow of such misinterpretation of Islam?},
 year = {2023}
}

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T1  - An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach
AU  - Mahdia Abarchah
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PY  - 2023
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AB  - The study borrows the term "entropy" from physics—the second law of thermodynamics—to refer to the development of a chaotic concept of Islam in Paul Bowles’ short stories, particularly, “The Fqih”. To analyze the text and dig out this conceptual entropy, the paper will draw on two analytical strategies: Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiological approach, namely, the study of the paradigmatic and syntagmatic levels of the text in order to trace the meaning and the value of the word Fqih both in its cultural context and through its dynamic function along the narrative. Second, the analysis will apply some elements of “Speech Acts” theory, founded by J. L Austin, and John Searle, basically, the illocutionary and perlocutionary acts, so as to clarify how the Fqih’s words contribute to the development of the main incidents in the story. Moreover, the story itself will be treated as a discourse addressing the readers. The course of the article, then, tends to be a process of applying both structural and discursive tools, underlining their functions and interaction within and without the short story. The focal point behind these procedures is to discuss the following questions: How was a chaotic image of Islam elaborated within the texture of the short story, “The Fqih”? What could be the source of such entropic construct? and what would be the impact of this textual phenomenon on both Moroccan and Western readers? Answering these questions aims at unveiling analytically how cultural differences could contribute to structuring an entropic image of Islam via literary narratives. The final question, then, is how to put constraints on the flow of such misinterpretation of Islam?
VL  - 8
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Mahdia Abarchah

Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Laboratory CREDIF, Fes, Morocco

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Mahdia Abarchah. (2023). An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach. Arabic Language, Literature & Culture, 8(2), 14-18. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11

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Mahdia Abarchah. An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach. Arab. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2023, 8(2), 14-18. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11

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AMA Style

Mahdia Abarchah. An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach. Arab Lang Lit Cult. 2023;8(2):14-18. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11

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@article{10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11,
  author = {Mahdia Abarchah},
  title = {An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach},
  journal = {Arabic Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {8},
  number = {2},
  pages = {14-18},
  doi = {10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.allc.20230802.11},
  abstract = {The study borrows the term "entropy" from physics—the second law of thermodynamics—to refer to the development of a chaotic concept of Islam in Paul Bowles’ short stories, particularly, “The Fqih”. To analyze the text and dig out this conceptual entropy, the paper will draw on two analytical strategies: Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiological approach, namely, the study of the paradigmatic and syntagmatic levels of the text in order to trace the meaning and the value of the word Fqih both in its cultural context and through its dynamic function along the narrative. Second, the analysis will apply some elements of “Speech Acts” theory, founded by J. L Austin, and John Searle, basically, the illocutionary and perlocutionary acts, so as to clarify how the Fqih’s words contribute to the development of the main incidents in the story. Moreover, the story itself will be treated as a discourse addressing the readers. The course of the article, then, tends to be a process of applying both structural and discursive tools, underlining their functions and interaction within and without the short story. The focal point behind these procedures is to discuss the following questions: How was a chaotic image of Islam elaborated within the texture of the short story, “The Fqih”? What could be the source of such entropic construct? and what would be the impact of this textual phenomenon on both Moroccan and Western readers? Answering these questions aims at unveiling analytically how cultural differences could contribute to structuring an entropic image of Islam via literary narratives. The final question, then, is how to put constraints on the flow of such misinterpretation of Islam?},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Entropic Image of Islam in Paul Bowles’ “The Fqih”: A Semio-Pragmatic Approach
AU  - Mahdia Abarchah
Y1  - 2023/10/09
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11
T2  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
JF  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
JO  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
SP  - 14
EP  - 18
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2639-9695
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20230802.11
AB  - The study borrows the term "entropy" from physics—the second law of thermodynamics—to refer to the development of a chaotic concept of Islam in Paul Bowles’ short stories, particularly, “The Fqih”. To analyze the text and dig out this conceptual entropy, the paper will draw on two analytical strategies: Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiological approach, namely, the study of the paradigmatic and syntagmatic levels of the text in order to trace the meaning and the value of the word Fqih both in its cultural context and through its dynamic function along the narrative. Second, the analysis will apply some elements of “Speech Acts” theory, founded by J. L Austin, and John Searle, basically, the illocutionary and perlocutionary acts, so as to clarify how the Fqih’s words contribute to the development of the main incidents in the story. Moreover, the story itself will be treated as a discourse addressing the readers. The course of the article, then, tends to be a process of applying both structural and discursive tools, underlining their functions and interaction within and without the short story. The focal point behind these procedures is to discuss the following questions: How was a chaotic image of Islam elaborated within the texture of the short story, “The Fqih”? What could be the source of such entropic construct? and what would be the impact of this textual phenomenon on both Moroccan and Western readers? Answering these questions aims at unveiling analytically how cultural differences could contribute to structuring an entropic image of Islam via literary narratives. The final question, then, is how to put constraints on the flow of such misinterpretation of Islam?
VL  - 8
IS  - 2
ER  -

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