A Study of the Use of Humor as a Rhetorical Device in Naguib Mahfouz's Novel " Miramar"

Humor, as a rhetorical and literary device, is used in the literature of almost every country in the world. The distinguished Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz sees humor as the most effective means for reflecting the ills pains and sufferings and suppressions of Egyptian society. To this end, in most of his novels, he uses different modes of irony and humor to express his anger and disgust of the suppression enwrapping his country. And the humor that he uses is generally meant to soothe of the people of his country.The current research is an attempt to investigate the use of the elements of humor in one of the novels of Naguib Mahfouz, "Miramar" Mahfouz uses literature in general and humor specifically as a tool to fight and also to delineate the political, social, and economic sufferings that the Egyptian people were experiencing. Moreover, it will try to show what special techniques the author implements to make the best use of this rehtorical device.Mahfouz, in this novel, critiques the social and political problems that are engulfing the country and conveys his ideas to the readers through a mostly implicit and indirect use of language. Comic combination of words is often used to bring smile onto the face of his readers when criticizing the current situation of the country.Mahfouz uses both artistic and rhetorical devices such as simile, irony, metaphor, hyperbole, anti-thesis, understatement, and colloquial expressions to achieve this goal.