The elevated mirrors

The contemplator of Saudi Arabian fiction realizes that it is no longer inhabited by the obsessions of traditionalism through the illusion of realism, respect for principles of temporality and causality, tendency toward monolithic perspective, and clarity of language and character structure physically. It is also no longer rooted in the worlds of narrative modernity and its techniques, such as temporal fragmentation, narrative paradoxes, a Bolivonian tendency, diversity in focalization, immersion in magical fantasy, and the flow of consciousness. Instead, it has been aided by its experimental tendency to rely on postmodern mechanisms and techniques, including meta-narrative and collage, and the changes they have brought about in the structure and interpretation of the narrative. Although Saudi fiction has progressed rapidly, keeping pace with Arab and global narrative achievements, it has not—so far as I know—been subjected to a scientific study that systematically approaches the formations of meta-narrative and collage independently. Therefore, I have resolved to illuminate the features of these two techniques, clarify their patterns, and explore their aims through an analysis of twelve novels according to a postmodern perspective, both in terms of vision and formation.