From Hogwarts to Sorcerers’ Covens: Heterotopic Places and Spatial Estrangement in the World‑Building of Fantasy Novels Harry Potter and Arabistan Orchards
Öz
This comparative study investigates the world‑building techniques employed in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Osama Almuslim’s Arabistan Orchards series, with a focus on the construction and function of magical landscapes within Western and Arabic fantasy traditions as exemplified in the first novel of each series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) and Arabistan Orchards (2015). By applying Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia to fantasy literature, this study provides a perspective on spatial estrangement in narrative and thematic development. The examination of heterotopic locations such as the Hogwarts School, Al‑Yamamah Residence, and Takht‑Sulayman Valley elucidates how these fantastical settings reflect and subvert real‑world norms while addressing broader social and cultural issues. The paper also explores the influence of Western fantasy on Arabic literature. A seven‑category framework integrating heterotopia, spatial estrangement, and Polysystem Theory is proposed and employed in the analysis and comparison of the two novels. The categories examine spatial dynamics and alternate spaces, temporal evolution and boundary effects, fantasy realm coexistence and strangeness, temporal aspects of fictional worlds and characters’ responses, the boundaries between fantasy and reality, and spatial paradigms. This study identifies the similarities and differences in the portrayal of magical landscapes in Western and Arabic cultural contexts. It can, thus, contribute to the fields of fantasy literature studies and cross‑cultural literary analysis by offering insights into world‑building techniques and the global prominence of Western fantasy in shaping genre conventions.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Destekleyen Kurum
Proje Numarası
Etik Beyan
Teşekkür
Kaynakça
- Albandar, Abdullah. بودكاست مخيال [Mekhyal Podcast]. Accessed March 5, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo6yi7NL99Q.
- Almuslim, Osama. بساتين عربستان [Arabistan Orchards]. Cairo: Arabic Literature Center, 2015.
- Alqahtani, Ali S. “Are Fantasy Novels Trivial?” Al‑Jazirah Cultural, Accessed April 25, 2025. https://www.al‑jazirah.com/2025/20250425/cm1.html.
- Alqalyan, Amal Hamad. “المكان والزمان في رواية (بساتين عربستان) لأسامة المسلم دراسة تحليلية نقدية [‘Space and Time in Osama Al‑Muslim’s Novel Arabistan Gardens: An Analytical and Critical Study’].” College of Arts Journal, Tanta University 59 (2025): 264–500.
- Beher, Kate. “Philosopher’s Stone to Resurrection Stone.” In Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter, ed. Elizabeth E. Heilman, 257–271. New York: Routledge, 2009.
- Bell, Christopher E. “Introduction.” In From Here to Hogwarts, ed. Christopher E. Bell, 1–6. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2016.
- Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1994.
- Borah, Rebecca Sutherland. “Apprentice Wizards Welcome.” In The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter, ed. Lana A. Whited, 343–364. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2002.
Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
Karşılaştırmalı ve Ulusötesi Edebiyat
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yazarlar
Abdel-Fattah Adel
*
0000-0001-7968-8167
Saudi Arabia
Yayımlanma Tarihi
30 Haziran 2026
Gönderilme Tarihi
4 Ekim 2025
Kabul Tarihi
20 Nisan 2026
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2026 Sayı: 21