Verdant, Green, Lush
” Aboulela’s Depiction Of The Nile In River Spirit
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12634207 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shireen Hikmat Al-kurdi (Al-Balqa Applied University, corresponding author), Shireen Alkurdi (0000-0002-3787-468X, Al-Balqa Applied University), Yousef Abu Amrieh (0000-0003-1443-7054, English Language and Literature, School of Foreign Languages, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 161-169 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Intercultural Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1404-1634 • E-ISSN: 1404-1634 |
| Publisher | International Collaboration for Research and Publications (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.36923/jicc.v25i4.1293 |
| OpenAlex | W7117375919 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
This paper aims to examine how the Arab-British novelist Leila Aboulela portrays the distinctive relationship between her protagonist, Akuany, and the Nile in her recent novel, River Spirit (2023), set during the Mahdist Revolution (1881–1898). This study employs the geocritical approach to examine the interaction between physical spaces and human experiences, highlighting how landscapes influence identity and memory. It analyzes the river not as a mere physical entity but as a personified character with profound cultural and political significations, demonstrating Aboulela’s ability to make geography a means of conveying emotional and historical resonance, playing a vital role in the narrative. Born in a village in South Sudan, Akuany remains attached to the river despite being forced to peregrinate around the country because of the ongoing armed conflicts. Aboulela frames Akuany’s circular journey, from Malakal to Al-Ubayyid, to Khartoum, to Omdurman, and back to her village, as both a physical and spiritual passage in which the Nile emerges as a living, unifying force that transcends colonial and political borders, shaping Sudanese identity through memory, belonging, and resilience. Akuany’s views on the places she is taken to, as well as her feelings towards the individuals she encounters, are influenced by their proximity to the river. Her feelings towards the individuals she encounters are shaped by their perceptions of the river. Hence, this paper investigates Akuany’s thoughts and emotions about the river to explore how Aboulela aesthetically transforms the Nile from a natural body of water into a breathing soul that speaks and listens. This study further emphasizes the novel’s contribution to postcolonial and environmental literary studies by connecting human experience with natural landscapes. In a novel that traces the shifting fortunes of prominent leaders, the Nile remains unchanged, as does Akuany’s unwavering devotion to it
Character (mathematics · Depiction · Feeling · Identity (music · Natural (archaeology · Politics · Soul · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Spatial and Cultural Studies · Travel Writing and Literature
| Highly cited | No |
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