al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu fi al-Adab al-Muasir

al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu fi al-Adab al-Muasir (The Essay and Its Development in Contemporary Literature) is a critical and historical study of the Arabic essay by the Egyptian literary scholar al-Sayyid Mursi Abu Zikri al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1. Published in 1982 by Dar al-Maarif in Alexandria, the work examines the origins of essayistic writing in classical Arabic prose, its emergence and evolution in the modern era under the influence of journalism, its diverse stylistic forms, and its role in treating major intellectual debates al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1.

Purpose and Scope

Abu Zikri composed the book to provide a detailed and precise portrayal of the essay as an independent literary genre competing with other art forms in modern Arabic literature al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…. The study traces proto-essayistic forms in classical prose, follows the stages of the modern essay's growth alongside the Arabic press, and surveys the contributions of prominent figures across various specialized styles al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…. It also highlights how essays shaped Arab—and specifically Egyptian—public consciousness around key cultural and political issues before and after the 1919 Revolution, while analyzing related journalistic forms such as the column, the reflection, and the caricature al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….

Structure and Contents

The book is organized into an introduction, three main parts comprising fifteen chapters, and a conclusion al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…:

• Part One: The Essay and Its Development (المقال وتطوره) covers the historical trajectory and theoretical foundations of the genre in four chapters al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1. The first chapter identifies classical Arabic precursors to the essay, examining texts by al-Hasan al-Basri, Abd al-Hamid al-Katib, Ibn al-Muqaffa, al-Jahiz, Ibn Qutaybah, Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, Ikhwan al-Safa, and Ibn Khaldun al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1. The second chapter explores early European developments (notably Michel de Montaigne and Francis Bacon) before detailing five developmental stages of the essay in modern Arabic literature and the role of periodicals in enriching language and prose al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1. The third chapter addresses definitions, structural components, and classifications based on tone and approach (such as subjective, social, descriptive, literary, and scientific) al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1. The fourth chapter reviews published books that compiled articles previously scattered across various newspapers al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….
• Part Two: Diversity of Essay Styles (تنوع أساليب المقال) spans eight chapters analyzing distinct stylistic categories and their primary representatives al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1:
  1. Linguistic style, highlighting Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq, Ibrahim al-Yaziji, and Muhammad Ibrahim al-Muwaylihi al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….
  2. Social reform style, featuring Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, Qasim Amin, and Wali al-Din Yakan al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….
  3. Religious style, discussing Muhammad Abduh, Ali Yusuf, Shakib Arslan, and Ahmad Amin al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….
  4. Scientific style, examining Yaqub Sarruf, Ahmad Zaki, and Salama Musa al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….
  5. Literary and artistic style, presenting Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti, Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafi'i, Gibran Khalil Gibran, Ahmad Hasan al-Zayyat, Abbas Mahmud al-Aqqad, Taha Hussein, Omar Fakhoury, and Mayy Ziyadah al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1.
  6. Philosophical style, focusing on Ahmad Lutfi al-Sayyid, Ali Adham, and Zaki Naguib Mahmoud al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1.
  7. Political style, addressing Abd al-Qadir Hamza, Amin al-Rafi'i, Muhammad Husayn Haykal, Muhammad al-Tabi'i, and Fikri Abaza al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….
  8. Satirical style, covering Muhammad al-Siba'i, Abd al-Aziz al-Bishri, Husayn Shafiq al-Misri, and Ibrahim Abd al-Qadir al-Mazini al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f….
• Part Three: The Essay in Contemporary Newspapers (المقال في الصحف المعاصرة) consists of three chapters al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1. The first chapter evaluates the essay's engagement with major intellectual controversies, including the woman question, the reception of Ali Abd al-Raziq's al-Islam wa Usul al-Hukm, debates surrounding Taha Hussein's Fi al-Shi'r al-Jahili, and responses to missionary activities al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…. The second chapter examines the contemporary journalistic essay and its functions in exposition, critique, and ideological dispute al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…. The third chapter details modern daily newspaper features related to the essay, analyzing regular signed columns, the brief personal reflection (al-khatirah), the concise conceptual reflection (al-fikrah, as popularized by Ali Amin and Mustafa Amin), and editorial caricature al-Maqal wa Tatawwuruhu f…+1.