The Civilizational Hero in the Iraqi Novel: "Jalal Khalid" and "Lamps of Jerusalem" as Case Studies

Abstract

This study aims to focus on the concept of the civilizational hero in the Iraqi novel, highlighting two significant phases in the history of Iraqi literature. The first phase corresponds with the establishment of the Iraqi state, where the emergence of novelists coincided with the founding of the state in the late first quarter of the twentieth century. The second phase begins with the conflict between the West, which occupied Iraq in 2003, and Iraqi society, a period that profoundly influenced Iraqi novels.

Based on this influence, the study seeks to uncover the representations of the hero in novels from these two phases, revealing two distinct types of heroes: the first seeks self-criticism, while the second focuses on critiquing the "other." The study examines how these hero types are portrayed to discern the differences between them.