Politics and Digital Literature in the Middle East

Text and context are essential parts of this monograph. All close-readings and in-depth examples of literary online texts are from various countries of the Gulf; for detailed analyses of Egypt’s and Lebanon’s digital literary field, I rely on text analyses performed by fellow researchers. The datasets of original sources of online literature on which this book is based have been downsized according to specific criteria such as frequency and typicality in representation—this shows the interdiscursivity, uniqueness, and redundancy in the selection of examples.

Digital literary text comes in many forms. Visual aesthetics in expression influence written and spoken words. This chapter looks at questions of layout and the use of multimedia elements. I will analyse the visual setup of online short stories, literary works on blogs and websites as well as on YouTube.

This chapter examines a variety of literary texts in order to elicit nuances in narration, language, and style—these are important in identifying connections with forms of socio-political expressions as well as the broader phenomenon of globalisation. In the original material, linguistic aspects of short stories and blog posts are as important as looking at the purpose and functions of dialogue, which are vital to stories distributed in forums. I will then discuss various features of stories posted in forums, and end with a general analysis of the use of language and dialect. Language and narration frame discourses and their representation. The position of narrators and the writer’s point of view can be expressed through involvement and distance.

The connection among authors, readers, and critics is part of the analysis of this chapter. It first discusses cultural production in Web 2.0 and user-generated text and the benefits of online writing. This serves as a basis to understand the role of writers in online literature in connecting the public and the private. Second, the chapter elaborates on the interpersonal experience of readers who participate in the reposting and remixing of cultural goods. This highlights the importance of “sharing” in online interaction and cultural production; such a practice includes the circulation and redistribution of text, Web 2.0 studies, interactivity, communication, and authorship. Many of these subjects are inherent to online media, and stand in contrast to the static form of printed works.

In this chapter I will offer a frame of references related to the representation of gender identity, globalisation, and individualisation processes within the sources. The protagonist’s struggle over identity can be understood as a critique of social norms. Analysis of self-representation is fundamental to this chapter because characters often situate themselves in their cultural contexts.

Authors turn to online publishing for many reasons. One of them is the possibility to distribute their works with a relatively low barrier for publication—this means that texts do not need to be approved by either editors, publishers, or governmental institutions. This chapter will identify challenges to online literature, such as the impact of digital media on political conditions, as well as the influence of authoritarian regimes on literary texts. These texts are strongly influenced by internet censorship as well as global and local influence on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use. This chapter begins by detailing the peculiarities and politics of censorship in various countries before concluding. The second part of the chapter deals with the challenges that occur through publishing in digital media. These challenges include issues of redistribution of literary works as well as crediting the original source.

Online Arabic literature is relatively unexplored so far. I have chosen the perspectives on composition and setup, linguistic features, heroes’ portrayal, ICT use, and restrictions because they are the most striking characteristics in the original sources. The results extracted from my research open up a view into new literary expressions, which can be applied to literary studies of the Arabic-speaking world.