Illusion in the Iraqi Novel after 2003

Abstract

The research aims to study illusion (al-īhām), which is one of the important foundations underlying the structural function of the literary text. Its goal is to attempt to uncover the depths of the text and explore the hidden latent meanings within it. The illusion function is considered one of the most crucial components that play a primary role in highlighting the writer’s ability in his text and clarifying events with hidden inner potentials that are not immediately apparent to the casual reader; it requires a knowledgeable examiner who possesses the capacity to reveal what is immersed in the text and the purpose behind those events.

The writer may rely on the illusory character and multiply it to employ it in expressing his idea, making it the tool in which he empties his purposeful latent meanings in various directions—social, intellectual, psychological, and more. This will become evident through the well-known narrative plot patterns, whether comedic or the opposite tragic direction.

The study will demonstrate the illusory approach in post-2003 Iraqi novels and the different patterns it has taken. The research confirms, through the presentation of selected narrative texts as models, that illusion is an effective means upon which the novelist relies in his text. It contributes to strengthening deep structures and their interplay with the novel’s purpose, opening new horizons for various readings of the text.