The narrative focus in the novel Batalat-ol Karbala by Aisha Abd-ol Rahman based on Gérard Genette’s theory

The narrative function and the narrative focus are among the important topics that have attracted the attention of various scholars in recent decades. Among them is Gerard Genette, a well-known French theorist, who has presented a comprehensive and complete plan for the study of narrative texts. In his theory, he addresses the position of the narrator in the narration and how the events and characters are observed and evaluated. In other words, Genette's focus is on distinguishing between seeing and speaking in the narrative; an issue that has been ignored from the narration point of view. Hence, the objective of the present study is to use the analytical-descriptive method to explore the novel of Batlat-ol Karbala written by Aisha Abd al-Rahman, one of contemporary Egyptian literary figures, based on the Genette’s theory of focalization. The aim of this investigation is to measure the extent of using the principles of narrative and various ways of focalization to transfer the thoughts and ideas of the author. The results show that the author, through using third-person narrative and the other focalizations, has achieved a combined way of presenting a live and dynamic narrative which is appropriate with its realistic content.