The_AT0 brief_AJ0 lesbian_AJ0 romance_NN1 in_PRP Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 ,_PUN by_PRP contrast_NN1 ,_PUN shows_VVZ how_AVQ two_CRD female_AJ0 bodies_NN2 can_VM0 encounter_VVI each_DT0 other_NN1 within_PRP a_AT0 literary_AJ0 representation_NN1 of_PRF colonial_AJ0 contact_NN1 yet_AV0 outside_PRP the_AT0 heterosexually_AV0 gendered_AJ0 dramatization_NN1 of_PRF this_DT0 process_NN1 that_CJT these_DT0 earlier_AJC works_NN0 of_PRF fiction_NN1 reiterate_VVB ._SENT The_AT0 canonical_AJ0 paradigm_NN1 is_VBZ invoked_VVN in_PRP Ṭāhir_NP0 's_POS novel_NN1 only_AV0 to_TO0 yield_VVI to_PRP a_AT0 West_NN1 –_PUN East_NN1 encounter_NN1 at_PRP the_AT0 heart_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 narrative_NN1 that_CJT transpires_VVZ via_PRP lateral_AJ0 exchanges_NN2 of_PRF erotic_AJ0 pleasure_NN1 between_PRP bodies_NN2 whose_DTQ civilizational_AJ0 ties_NN2 are_VBB absolutely_AV0 irrelevant_AJ0 to_PRP how_AVQ each_DT0 body_NN1 affects_VVZ and_CJC is_VBZ affected_VVN by_PRP the_AT0 other_AJ0 ,_PUN and_CJC whose_DTQ identical_AJ0 sex_NN1 makes_VVZ these_DT0 bodies_NN2 moreover_AV0 resistant_AJ0 to_PRP being_VBG reduced_VVN to_PRP symbols_NN2 of_PRF the_AT0 respective_AJ0 agency_NN1 or_CJC passivity_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 two_CRD cultures_NN2 with_PRP which_DTQ they_PNP are_VBB superficially_AV0 affiliated_AJ0 ._SENT 
Reina_NP0 Lewis_NP0 has_VHZ proposed_VVN that_CJT the_AT0 "_PUQ differential_AJ0 ,_PUN gendered_AJ0 access_NN1 to_PRP the_AT0 positionalities_NN2 of_PRF imperial_AJ0 discourse_NN1 "_PUQ that_CJT was_VBD open_AJ0 to_PRP European_AJ0 women_NN2 during_PRP the_AT0 colonial_AJ0 era_NN1 —_PUN women_NN2 who_PNQ were_VBD themselves_PNX othered_AJ0 within_PRP the_AT0 hegemonic_AJ0 cultural_AJ0 and_CJC discursive_AJ0 frameworks_NN2 of_PRF their_DPS Western_AJ0 societies_NN2 —_PUN equipped_VVN them_PNP to_TO0 approach_VVI "_PUQ the_AT0 Orient_NP0 and_CJC the_AT0 Orientalized_AJ0 '_PUQ other_AJ0 '_PUQ [_PUL in_PRP ways_NN2 ]_PUR that_DT0 registered_AJ0 difference_NN1 less_AV0 pejoratively_AV0 and_CJC less_AV0 absolutely_AV0 "_PUQ relative_AJ0 to_PRP how_AVQ the_AT0 Orient_NP0 and_CJC its_DPS people_NN0 were_VBD typically_AV0 viewed_VVN by_PRP male_AJ0 colonialists_NN2 ._SENT Following_VVG from_PRP Lewis_NP0 's_POS observations_NN2 ,_PUN Catherine_NP0 's_POS "_PUQ gendered_AJ0 "_PUQ relationship_NN1 to_PRP the_AT0 Oriental_AJ0 other_NN1 that_CJT Malīkah_NP0 embodies_VVZ can_VM0 be_VBI seen_VVN as_PRP demonstrating_VVG a_AT0 means_NN0 of_PRF accessing_VVG the_AT0 Orient_NP0 's_POS difference_NN1 otherwise_AV0 than_CJS through_PRP the_AT0 favored_AJ0 epistemological_AJ0 apparatuses_NN2 of_PRF imperial_AJ0 discourse_NN1 ,_PUN and_CJC instead_AV0 through_PRP the_AT0 perceptions_NN2 and_CJC affects_NN2 of_PRF the_AT0 body_NN1 ._SENT In_PRP this_DT0 regard_NN1 ,_PUN Catherine_NP0 's_POS encounter_NN1 with_PRP Malīkah_NP0 could_VM0 result_VVI not_XX0 only_AV0 in_PRP "_PUQ a_AT0 decolonization_NN1 of_PRF self_NN1 ,_PUN "_PUQ per_PRP Pratt_NP0 's_POS reading_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 transformative_AJ0 potential_NN1 of_PRF Janine_NP0 's_POS orgasmic_AJ0 moment_NN1 at_PRP the_AT0 fort_NN1 in_PRP "_PUQ La_NP0 femme_NN1 adultère_NN1 ,_PUN "_PUQ but_CJC in_PRP a_AT0 decolonization_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 other_NN1 as_CJS well_AV0 ._SENT Just_AV0 as_CJS the_AT0 phenomenological_AJ0 immediacy_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 colonial_AJ0 space_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 desert_NN1 rendered_VVD it_PNP elusive_AJ0 to_PRP being_VBG known_VVN in_PRP advance_NN1 of_PRF Catherine_NP0 's_POS physical_AJ0 experience_NN1 of_PRF it_PNP ,_PUN the_AT0 immediacy_NN1 of_PRF how_AVQ Catherine_NP0 's_POS body_NN1 responds_VVZ to_PRP Malīkah_NP0 's_POS touch_NN1 affirms_VVZ Malīkah_NP0 herself_PNX as_PRP an_AT0 inhabitant_NN1 of_PRF this_DT0 space_NN1 whose_DTQ physiological_AJ0 materiality_NN1 exceeds_VVZ Orientalist_AJ0 imaginings_NN2 of_PRF the_AT0 other_NN1 ._SENT 
The_AT0 final_AJ0 third_ORD of_PRF the_AT0 novel_NN1 that_CJT follows_VVZ the_AT0 scene_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 two_CRD women_NN2 's_POS tryst_NN1 ,_PUN however_AV0 ,_PUN does_VDZ not_XX0 bear_VVI out_AVP the_AT0 transgressive_AJ0 possibilities_NN2 that_CJT this_DT0 episode_NN1 registers_NN2 ._SENT Not_XX0 only_AV0 do_VDI Catherine_NP0 and_CJC Malīkah_NP0 never_AV0 meet_VVB again_AV0 ,_PUN but_CJC Malīkah_NP0 commits_VVZ suicide_NN1 for_PRP reasons_NN2 that_CJT are_VBB never_AV0 made_VVN fully_AV0 clear_AJ0 ,_PUN and_CJC Catherine_NP0 resolves_VVZ to_TO0 "_PUQ forget_VVI all_DT0 of_PRF this_DT0 and_CJC put_VVB it_PNP behind_PRP me_PNP ,_PUN "_PUQ in_PRP order_NN1 to_TO0 "_PUQ recommence_VVI my_DPS work_NN1 and_CJC my_DPS research_NN1 ..._PUN [_PUL and_CJC ]_PUR recover_VVB the_AT0 true_AJ0 Catherine_NP0 [_PUL Kāthrīn_NP0 al-ḥaqīqiyyah_NP0 ]_PUR ._SENT "_PUQ If_CJS Catherine_NP0 's_POS liaison_NN1 with_PRP Malīkah_NP0 further_AV0 perpetuates_VVZ a_AT0 shift_NN1 in_PRP her_DPS character_NN1 that_CJT was_VBD initiated_VVN during_PRP her_DPS journey_NN1 across_PRP the_AT0 desert_NN1 ,_PUN then_AV0 this_DT0 moment_NN1 also_AV0 marks_VVZ the_AT0 limit_NN1 of_PRF how_AVQ much_DT0 she_PNP can_VM0 change_VVI ._SENT Marcia_NP0 Lynx_NP0 Qualey_NP0 ,_PUN reviewing_VVG Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 's_POS English_AJ0 translation_NN1 ,_PUN observes_VVZ a_AT0 "_PUQ frustrating_AJ0 "_PUQ lack_NN1 of_PRF believable_AJ0 character_NN1 development_NN1 in_PRP how_AVQ the_AT0 latter_DT0 part_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 book_NN1 unfolds_VVZ ,_PUN illustrated_VVN first_ORD by_PRP Malīkah_NP0 's_POS enigmatic_AJ0 suicide_NN1 and_CJC subsequently_AV0 by_PRP an_AT0 underrealized_AJ0 plotline_NN1 involving_VVG Catherine_NP0 's_POS sister_NN1 Fiona_NP0 ,_PUN who_PNQ joins_VVZ Catherine_NP0 and_CJC Maḥmūd_NP0 in_PRP Siwa_NP0 ,_PUN becomes_VVZ briefly_AV0 romantically_AV0 entangled_VVN with_PRP Maḥmūd_NP0 ,_PUN and_CJC then_AV0 dies_VVZ herself_PNX from_PRP a_AT0 mysterious_AJ0 illness_NN1 ._SENT These_DT0 moments_NN2 of_PRF narrative_AJ0 dissonance_NN1 are_VBB described_VVN by_PRP Qualey_NP0 as_PRP instances_NN2 of_PRF characters_NN2 being_VBG "_PUQ moved_VVN across_PRP the_AT0 page_NN1 for_PRP the_AT0 greater_AJC explication_NN1 of_PRF theme_NN1 "_PUQ ;_PUN Rachel_NP0 Aspden_NP0 observes_VVZ along_AVP similar_AJ0 lines_NN2 that_CJT the_AT0 novel_NN1 's_POS characters_NN2 "_PUQ behave_VVB more_AV0 like_PRP ciphers_NN2 than_CJS real_AJ0 people_NN0 ._SENT "_PUQ 
Catherine_NP0 's_POS awakening_NN1 to_PRP an_AT0 embodied_VVN and_CJC erotic_AJ0 mode_NN1 of_PRF experiencing_VVG colonial_AJ0 space_NN1 ,_PUN which_DTQ leads_VVZ to_PRP no_AT0 permanent_AJ0 evolution_NN1 for_PRP her_DPS character_NN1 ,_PUN instead_AV0 produces_VVZ a_AT0 crisis_NN1 within_PRP the_AT0 formal_AJ0 apparatuses_NN2 of_PRF the_AT0 novel_NN1 as_PRP a_AT0 work_NN1 of_PRF postcolonial_AJ0 literature_NN1 ._SENT In_PRP Anne-Marie_NP0 McManus_NP0 's_POS reading_NN1 of_PRF Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 ,_PUN it_PNP is_VBZ a_AT0 text_NN1 that_CJT restages_VVZ the_AT0 epistemological_AJ0 stakes_NN2 of_PRF empire_NN1 from_PRP a_AT0 postcolonial_AJ0 vantage_NN1 point_NN1 ,_PUN only_AV0 to_TO0 reify_VVI ultimately_AV0 a_AT0 Eurocentric_AJ0 belief_NN1 in_PRP the_AT0 superiority_NN1 of_PRF reason_NN1 ._SENT This_DT0 quality_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 novel_NN1 is_VBZ exemplified_VVN for_PRP McManus_NP0 by_PRP its_DPS portrayal_NN1 of_PRF Malīkah_NP0 as_PRP a_AT0 "_PUQ subaltern_NN1 woman_NN1 ,_PUN "_PUQ who_PNQ ,_PUN oppressed_VVN by_PRP the_AT0 primitive_AJ0 superstitions_NN2 of_PRF her_DPS tribe_NN1 yet_AV0 "_PUQ external_AJ0 to_PRP the_AT0 march_NN1 of_PRF rational_AJ0 history_NN1 "_PUQ whose_DTQ telos_NP0 is_VBZ in_PRP the_AT0 establishment_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 postcolonial_AJ0 state_NN1 ,_PUN must_VM0 be_VBI sacrificed_VVN narratively_AV0 so_AV0 that_CJT "_PUQ law_NN1 and_CJC reason_NN1 "_PUQ can_VM0 prevail_VVI in_PRP the_AT0 present-day_AJ0 Egyptian_AJ0 national_AJ0 imaginary_AJ0 that_CJT Ṭāhir_NP0 's_POS work_NN1 of_PRF historical_AJ0 fiction_NN1 prognosticates_VVZ ._SENT The_AT0 female_AJ0 characters_NN2 in_PRP Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 by_PRP this_DT0 account_NN1 are_VBB no_AV0 more_AV0 permitted_VVN to_TO0 act_VVI upon_PRP the_AT0 affective_AJ0 inclinations_NN2 of_PRF their_DPS bodies_NN2 than_CJS the_AT0 other_AJ0 fictional_AJ0 women_NN2 who_PNQ populate_VVB a_AT0 lineage_NN1 of_PRF colonial_AJ0 and_CJC postcolonial_AJ0 literary_AJ0 texts_NN2 ._SENT Rather_AV0 than_CJS being_VBG used_VVN to_TO0 personify_VVI the_AT0 cultural_AJ0 stakes_NN2 of_PRF the_AT0 West_NN1 –_PUN East_NN1 encounter_NN1 ,_PUN they_PNP are_VBB tied_VVN here_AV0 ,_PUN in_PRP McManus_NP0 's_POS reading_NN1 ,_PUN to_PRP the_AT0 drama_NN1 of_PRF national_AJ0 self-determination_NN1 that_CJT the_AT0 novel_NN1 enacts_VVZ ._SENT In_PRP this_DT0 respect_NN1 ,_PUN Ṭāhir_NP0 's_POS novel_NN1 is_VBZ consistent_AJ0 with_PRP a_AT0 tradition_NN1 of_PRF Egyptian_AJ0 literary_AJ0 treatments_NN2 of_PRF nationalistic_AJ0 themes_NN2 since_PRP the_AT0 nineteenth_ORD century_NN1 that_CJT employ_VVB female_AJ0 characters_NN2 to_TO0 symbolize_VVI or_CJC allegorize_VVI various_AJ0 obstacles_NN2 facing_VVG the_AT0 emergent_AJ0 nation-state_NN1 ._SENT 
And_CJC yet_AV0 —_PUN and_CJC if_CJS "_PUQ in_PRP overt_AJ0 tension_NN1 "_PUQ with_PRP the_AT0 novel_NN1 's_POS mimetic_AJ0 aims_NN2 ,_PUN as_CJS McManus_NP0 suggests_VVZ —_PUN the_AT0 bodies_NN2 of_PRF these_DT0 same_DT0 female_AJ0 characters_NN2 in_PRP Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 dispute_NN1 colonial_AJ0 imaginings_NN2 of_PRF how_AVQ a_AT0 European_AJ0 self_NN1 encounters_VVZ the_AT0 otherness_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 colony_NN1 ._SENT The_AT0 novel_NN1 's_POS descriptions_NN2 of_PRF how_AVQ Catherine_NP0 experiences_VVZ first_ORD the_AT0 sensorium_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 desert_NN1 ,_PUN and_CJC then_AV0 the_AT0 sensations_NN2 triggered_VVN by_PRP Malīkah_NP0 's_POS touch_NN1 ,_PUN register_NN1 Egypt_NP0 's_POS materiality_NN1 via_PRP the_AT0 affective_AJ0 responses_NN2 that_CJT colonial_AJ0 space_NN1 produces_VVZ in_PRP her_DPS body_NN1 ._SENT These_DT0 responses_NN2 linger_VVB as_PRP an_AT0 aftereffect_NN1 of_PRF Ṭāhir_NP0 's_POS act_NN1 of_PRF literary_AJ0 writing_NN1 ,_PUN gesturing_VVG toward_PRP the_AT0 possibility_NN1 of_PRF a_AT0 different_AJ0 arc_NN1 that_CJT Catherine_NP0 's_POS character_NN1 might_VM0 have_VHI taken_VVN ,_PUN perhaps_AV0 even_AV0 one_CRD consonant_NN1 with_PRP the_AT0 novel_NN1 's_POS decolonial_AJ0 commitments_NN2 ._SENT Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 concludes_VVZ with_PRP Maḥmūd_NP0 's_POS exhortations_NN2 to_PRP his_DPS fellow_AJ0 Egyptians_NN2 to_TO0 fight_VVI for_PRP a_AT0 future_NN1 free_AJ0 of_PRF colonial_AJ0 rule_NN1 as_CJS he_PNP lies_VVZ dying_VVG beneath_PRP the_AT0 literal_AJ0 rubble_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 country_NN1 's_POS glorious_AJ0 past_NN1 ,_PUN having_VHG dynamited_VVN one_CRD of_PRF Siwa_NP0 's_POS ancient_AJ0 temples_NN2 to_TO0 perform_VVI symbolically_AV0 the_AT0 futility_NN1 of_PRF seeking_VVG a_AT0 source_NN1 of_PRF self-realization_NN1 in_PRP Egyptian_AJ0 history_NN1 ._SENT If_CJS his_DPS hopes_NN2 for_PRP a_AT0 postcolonial_AJ0 nation_NN1 die_VVB with_PRP him_PNP ,_PUN however_AV0 ,_PUN then_AV0 the_AT0 decolonization_NN1 of_PRF Egypt_NP0 has_VHZ already_AV0 been_VBN set_VVN in_PRP motion_NN1 within_PRP the_AT0 diegetic_AJ0 reality_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 novel_NN1 by_PRP what_DTQ Catherine_NP0 has_VHZ experienced_VVN in_PRP the_AT0 desert_NN1 and_CJC at_PRP the_AT0 oasis_NN1 —_PUN albeit_CJS ambivalently_AV0 ,_PUN for_PRP her_DPS decolonizing_NN1 potential_NN1 comes_VVZ from_PRP her_DPS body_NN1 ,_PUN and_CJC it_PNP is_VBZ thus_AV0 unassimilable_AJ0 to_PRP the_AT0 literary_AJ0 aesthetic_AJ0 function_NN1 to_PRP which_DTQ her_DPS character_NN1 has_VHZ been_VBN assigned_VVN ._SENT 
Fictional_AJ0 Bodies_NN2 
For_PRP Wen-chin_NP0 Ouyang_NP0 ,_PUN Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 exemplifies_VVZ a_AT0 broader_AJC tendency_NN1 in_PRP postcolonial_AJ0 Arabic_AJ0 literature_NN1 to_TO0 yoke_VVI nationalist_AJ0 politics_NN1 to_PRP literary_AJ0 form_NN1 —_PUN in_PRP this_DT0 case_NN1 ,_PUN by_PRP using_VVG the_AT0 vehicle_NN1 of_PRF historical_AJ0 fiction_NN1 to_TO0 "_PUQ argue_VVI ..._PUN with_PRP both_DT0 the_AT0 past_NN1 and_CJC the_AT0 West_NN1 "_PUQ while_CJS simultaneously_AV0 testing_VVG the_AT0 "_PUQ authenticity_NN1 and_CJC originality_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 Arabic_AJ0 novel_NN1 "_PUQ against_PRP its_DPS Western_AJ0 precursors_NN2 ._SENT This_DT0 trend_NN1 is_VBZ one_PNI that_CJT ,_PUN according_VVG to_PRP Ouyang_NP0 ,_PUN has_VHZ to_PRP some_DT0 extent_NN1 restricted_VVN other_AJ0 modalities_NN2 of_PRF writing_NN1 from_PRP achieving_VVG prominence_NN1 in_PRP the_AT0 modern_AJ0 Arabic_AJ0 literary_AJ0 field_NN1 ,_PUN and_CJC it_PNP has_VHZ particularly_AV0 disadvantaged_VVN "_PUQ women_NN2 writers_NN2 ,_PUN "_PUQ who_PNQ "_PUQ understandably_AV0 take_VVB exception_NN1 to_PRP the_AT0 kind_NN1 of_PRF unabashed_AJ0 misogyny_NN1 exhibited_VVN in_PRP the_AT0 story_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 [_PUL Arabic_AJ0 ]_PUR novel_NN1 's_POS love_NN1 affair_NN1 with_PRP the_AT0 nation-state_NN1 ._SENT "_PUQ For_PRP these_DT0 reasons_NN2 ,_PUN Ouyang_NP0 argues_VVZ ,_PUN the_AT0 "_PUQ dominance_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 nation-state_NN1 as_PRP the_AT0 structuring_NN1 episteme_NN1 and_CJC chronotope_NN1 "_PUQ of_PRF postcolonial_AJ0 Arabic_AJ0 fiction_NN1 is_VBZ "_PUQ problematical_AJ0 "_PUQ both_AV0 "_PUQ politically_AV0 and_CJC aesthetically_AV0 ._SENT "_PUQ 
Bearing_VVG in_PRP mind_NN1 Ouyang_NP0 's_POS critique_NN1 ,_PUN this_DT0 article_NN1 has_VHZ argued_VVN that_CJT what_DTQ is_VBZ a_AT0 problem_NN1 for_PRP postcolonial_AJ0 Arabic_AJ0 literature_NN1 in_PRP general_AJ0 provides_VVZ in_PRP Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 ,_PUN however_AV0 ,_PUN an_AT0 opportunity_NN1 for_PRP reading_VVG this_DT0 novel_NN1 against_PRP the_AT0 grain_NN1 of_PRF its_DPS apparent_AJ0 political_AJ0 and_CJC aesthetic_AJ0 commitments_NN2 ,_PUN including_PRP as_CJS they_PNP have_VHB been_VBN described_VVN by_PRP Ṭāhir_NP0 himself_PNX ._SENT With_PRP respect_NN1 to_PRP how_AVQ Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 fits_VVZ into_PRP a_AT0 tradition_NN1 of_PRF twentieth-_AJ0 and_CJC twenty-first-century_AJ0 Arabic_AJ0 fiction_NN1 that_CJT addresses_VVZ the_AT0 dynamics_NN0 of_PRF Western_AJ0 colonialism_NN1 in_PRP the_AT0 Arab_AJ0 Middle_AJ0 East_NN1 ,_PUN I_PNP would_VM0 like_VVI to_TO0 suggest_VVI in_PRP closing_VVG that_CJT recovering_VVG a_AT0 role_NN1 for_PRP Catherine_NP0 's_POS character_NN1 other_AJ0 than_CJS that_DT0 seemingly_AV0 intended_VVN for_PRP her_PNP by_PRP the_AT0 author_NN1 enables_VVZ us_PNP to_TO0 identify_VVI Wāḥat_NP0 al-ghurūb_NP0 with_PRP a_AT0 different_AJ0 transgressive_AJ0 potential_NN1 and_CJC a_AT0 different_AJ0 set_NN1 of_PRF recalcitrant_AJ0 aesthetic_AJ0 possibilities_NN2 than_CJS those_DT0 typically_AV0 accorded_VVN to_PRP the_AT0 postcolonial_AJ0 Arabic_AJ0 novel_NN1 ._SENT The_AT0 novel_NN1 's_POS erotic_AJ0 phenomenology_NN1 of_PRF Egyptian_AJ0 space_NN1 as_CJS it_PNP is_VBZ experienced_VVN by_PRP a_AT0 female_AJ0 body_NN1 poses_VVZ a_AT0 challenge_NN1 both_AV0 to_PRP the_AT0 colonial_AJ0 literary_AJ0 discourse_NN1 that_CJT the_AT0 text_NN1 is_VBZ configured_VVN to_TO0 "_PUQ write_VVI back_AVP "_PUQ against_PRP and_CJC to_PRP the_AT0 literary_AJ0 dramatization_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 emergence_NN1 of_PRF a_AT0 rational_AJ0 Egyptian_AJ0 nation-state_NN1 that_CJT it_PNP offers_VVZ instead_AV0 ._SENT This_DT0 ,_PUN too_AV0 ,_PUN is_VBZ an_AT0 aesthetic_AJ0 effect_NN1 produced_VVN by_PRP Ṭāhir_NP0 's_POS novel_NN1 ,_PUN and_CJC it_PNP affirms_VVZ the_AT0 irreducibility_NN1 of_PRF this_DT0 body_NN1 and_CJC of_PRF female_AJ0 sexual_AJ0 experience_NN1 to_PRP such_DT0 instrumental_AJ0 representations_NN2 ._SENT 
Only_AV0 by_PRP framing_VVG my_DPS reading_NN1 of_PRF Ṭāhir_NP0 's_POS novel_NN1 in_PRP the_AT0 second_ORD half_NN1 of_PRF this_DT0 article_NN1 vis-à-vis_PRP my_DPS earlier_AJC reading_NN1 of_PRF Camus_NP0 's_POS story_NN1 could_VM0 these_DT0 contradictory_AJ0 implications_NN2 of_PRF Ṭāhir_NP0 's_POS gender-flipping_AJ0 postcolonial_AJ0 rewriting_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 colonial_AJ0 literary_AJ0 script_NN1 of_PRF Orient-as-woman_NN1 be_VBI elucidated_VVN ._SENT As_CJS Camus_NP0 's_POS story_NN1 reveals_VVZ ,_PUN an_AT0 aesthetic_AJ0 strategy_NN1 that_CJT yokes_VVZ representations_NN2 of_PRF female_AJ0 erotic_AJ0 affect_NN1 to_PRP any_DT0 kind_NN1 of_PRF colonial_AJ0 politics_NN1 ,_PUN whether_CJS in_PRP support_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 epistemologies_NN2 of_PRF empire_NN1 or_CJC against_PRP them_PNP ,_PUN proves_VVZ unsustainable_AJ0 ._SENT Elizabeth_NP0 Grosz_NP0 argues_VVZ ,_PUN drawing_VVG on_PRP the_AT0 work_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 French_AJ0 feminist_AJ0 thinker_NN1 Luce_NP0 Irigaray_NP0 ,_PUN that_CJT the_AT0 inherent_AJ0 leakiness_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 female_AJ0 body_NN1 guarantees_VVZ its_DPS "_PUQ cultural_AJ0 unrepresentability_NN1 ..._PUN within_PRP prevailing_AJ0 philosophical_AJ0 models_NN2 of_PRF ontology_NN1 "_PUQ —_PUN and_CJC ,_PUN we_PNP might_VM0 add_VVI ,_PUN within_PRP prevailing_AJ0 literary_AJ0 models_NN2 of_PRF the_AT0 same_DT0 ._SENT For_PRP Tarek_NP0 El-Ariss_NP0 ,_PUN the_AT0 leaking_AJ0 body_NN1 is_VBZ identified_VVN with_PRP a_AT0 critique_NN1 of_PRF power_NN1 made_VVD possible_AJ0 by_PRP this_DT0 body_NN1 's_POS affective_AJ0 autonomy_NN1 from_PRP all_DT0 epistemological_AJ0 structures_NN2 ,_PUN especially_AV0 those_DT0 that_CJT seek_VVB to_TO0 relegate_VVI embodiment_NN1 to_PRP a_AT0 discursive_AJ0 or_CJC mimetic_AJ0 given_VVN ._SENT Subverting_VVG such_DT0 structures_NN2 through_PRP its_DPS refusal_NN1 or_CJC incapacity_NN1 to_TO0 conform_VVI to_PRP them_PNP ,_PUN the_AT0 leaking_AJ0 body_NN1 activates_VVZ fiction_NN1 as_PRP the_AT0 site_NN1 and_CJC medium_NN1 of_PRF its_DPS interventions_NN2 ,_PUN "_PUQ touching_VVG bodies_NN2 and_CJC altering_VVG narrative_AJ0 course_NN1 ,_PUN subverting_VVG power_NN1 relations_NN2 and_CJC the_AT0 codes_NN2 regulating_VVG gender_NN1 ,_PUN the_AT0 sacred_AJ0 and_CJC the_AT0 profane_AJ0 ,_PUN the_AT0 private_AJ0 and_CJC the_AT0 public_NN1 ,_PUN and_CJC the_AT0 knowable_AJ0 and_CJC the_AT0 unknowable_AJ0 ._SENT "_PUQ 
Embracing_VVG the_AT0 fictionality_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 female_AJ0 protagonists_NN2 in_PRP these_DT0 two_CRD works_NN0 of_PRF literature_NN1 invites_VVZ us_PNP to_TO0 contemplate_VVI a_AT0 range_NN1 of_PRF possibilities_NN2 for_PRP each_DT0 character_NN1 beyond_PRP the_AT0 official_AJ0 closure_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 narrative_NN1 ._SENT What_DTQ if_CJS Janine_NP0 ,_PUN instead_AV0 of_PRF returning_VVG to_PRP Marcel_NP0 at_PRP the_AT0 hotel_NN1 ,_PUN were_VBD truly_AV0 to_TO0 become_VVI the_AT0 "_PUQ adulterous_AJ0 wife_NN1 "_PUQ promised_VVN by_PRP the_AT0 story_NN1 's_POS title_NN1 :_PUN were_VBD to_TO0 seek_VVI out_AVP sexual_AJ0 satisfaction_NN1 with_PRP the_AT0 French_AJ0 legionnaire_NN1 from_PRP the_AT0 bus_NN1 or_CJC the_AT0 Algerian_AJ0 man_NN1 in_PRP the_AT0 town_NN1 ,_PUN with_PRP anyone_PNI but_CJC the_AT0 plodding_AJ0 ,_PUN unattractive_AJ0 husband_NN1 with_PRP which_DTQ Camus_NP0 's_POS own_DT0 imagination_NN1 has_VHZ saddled_VVN her_PNP ?_SENT What_DTQ if_CJS Catherine_NP0 ,_PUN instead_AV0 of_PRF reverting_VVG to_PRP being_VBG the_AT0 stereotypically_AV0 Orientalist_AJ0 European_AJ0 wife_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 tormented_AJ0 Egyptian_AJ0 "_PUQ mimic_NN1 man_NN1 "_PUQ that_CJT Maḥmūd_NP0 epitomizes_VVZ in_PRP his_DPS struggle_NN1 toward_PRP self-realization_NN1 as_PRP an_AT0 enlightened_AJ0 postcolonial_AJ0 subject_NN1 ,_PUN were_VBD to_TO0 escape_VVI with_PRP Malīkah_NP0 into_PRP the_AT0 desert_NN1 —_PUN thereby_AV0 saving_VVG both_DT0 the_AT0 Siwan_NP0 woman_NN1 and_CJC herself_PNX not_XX0 by_PRP acting_VVG rationally_AV0 ,_PUN but_CJC by_PRP giving_VVG in_AVP to_PRP the_AT0 bilateral_AJ0 impulses_NN2 of_PRF their_DPS desiring_AJ0 bodies_NN2 ?_SENT 
Literary_AJ0 characters_NN2 ,_PUN freed_VVN from_PRP the_AT0 tropic_AJ0 structures_NN2 in_PRP which_DTQ they_PNP are_VBB contained_VVN ,_PUN drift_VVB in_PRP alternative_AJ0 narrative_NN1 directions_NN2 and_CJC enter_VVB into_PRP alternative_AJ0 aesthetic_AJ0 configurations_NN2 ._SENT Yielding_VVG fully_AV0 to_PRP the_AT0 erotic_AJ0 inclinations_NN2 of_PRF their_DPS bodies_NN2 ,_PUN these_DT0 two_CRD European_AJ0 women_NN2 would_VM0 conjure_VVI colonial_AJ0 space_NN1 aesthetically_AV0 ,_PUN within_PRP the_AT0 diegetic_AJ0 reality_NN1 of_PRF a_AT0 literary_AJ0 text_NN1 ,_PUN as_CJS no_AT0 longer_AV0 colonial_AJ0 but_CJC as_CJS the_AT0 extensive_AJ0 whole_NN1 of_PRF "_PUQ the_AT0 world_NN1 that_CJT takes_VVZ shape_NN1 around_PRP "_PUQ them_PNP :_PUN as_CJS the_AT0 totality_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 phenomenal_AJ0 environment_NN1 in_PRP which_DTQ the_AT0 experiences_NN2 of_PRF embodied_VVN life_NN1 unfold_VVB ._SENT Out_AVP of_PRF the_AT0 literary_AJ0 conjunction_NN1 of_PRF a_AT0 female_AJ0 character_NN1 with_PRP the_AT0 land_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 (_PUL post_NN1 )_PUR colonial_AJ0 nation_NN1 ,_PUN what_DTQ would_VM0 emerge_VVI would_VM0 be_VBI not_XX0 a_AT0 drama_NN1 of_PRF self_NN1 and_CJC other_NN1 but_CJC a_AT0 fiction_NN1 of_PRF bodies_NN2 that_CJT are_VBB "_PUQ always_AV0 becoming_VVG otherwise_AV0 ,_PUN however_AV0 subtly_AV0 ,_PUN than_CJS what_DTQ ..._PUN [_PUL they_PNP ]_PUR already_AV0 "_PUQ are_VBB ,_PUN decomposed_VVN and_CJC recomposed_VVN perpetually_AV0 by_PRP "_PUQ the_AT0 forces_NN2 of_PRF encounter_NN1 "_PUQ that_CJT act_VVB on_PRP them_PNP ._SENT 
To_TO0 draw_VVI such_DT0 conclusions_NN2 about_PRP these_DT0 two_CRD works_NN0 of_PRF literature_NN1 that_CJT inscribe_VVB the_AT0 dynamics_NN0 of_PRF the_AT0 colonial_AJ0 encounter_NN1 onto_PRP the_AT0 female_AJ0 body_NN1 is_VBZ to_TO0 propose_VVI ultimately_AV0 neither_AV0 a_AT0 strictly_AV0 decolonial_AJ0 nor_CJC feminist_AJ0 reading_NN1 of_PRF them_PNP ._SENT Instead_AV0 ,_PUN what_DTQ might_VM0 be_VBI gained_VVN by_PRP the_AT0 approach_NN1 followed_VVN in_PRP this_DT0 article_NN1 ,_PUN I_PNP suggest_VVB ,_PUN is_VBZ something_PNI closer_AV0 to_PRP an_AT0 ethical_AJ0 means_NN0 of_PRF reexamining_VVG the_AT0 mimetic_AJ0 conventions_NN2 that_DT0 colonialism_NN1 spawned_VVN in_PRP multiple_AJ0 intersecting_AJ0 traditions_NN2 of_PRF literary_AJ0 writing_NN1 ,_PUN in_PRP order_NN1 to_TO0 locate_VVI sites_NN2 and_CJC modes_NN2 of_PRF resistance_NN1 in_PRP fiction_NN1 that_CJT lie_VVB outside_PRP the_AT0 binaries_NN2 of_PRF colonizer_NN1 /_PUN colonized_AJ0 and_CJC male_AJ0 /_PUN female_AJ0 that_CJT have_VHB historically_AV0 provided_VVN the_AT0 aesthetic_AJ0 coordinates_NN2 for_PRP such_DT0 writing_NN1 ._SENT Literary_AJ0 representations_NN2 of_PRF non-normative_AJ0 bodies_NN2 bear_VVB a_AT0 potential_NN1 to_TO0 "_PUQ return_VVI the_AT0 aesthetic_AJ0 domain_NN1 to_PRP an_AT0 active_AJ0 ethical_AJ0 core_NN1 ,_PUN "_PUQ insofar_CJS as_PRP such_DT0 representations_NN2 hold_VVB within_PRP them_PNP the_AT0 threads_NN2 of_PRF their_DPS own_DT0 unraveling_NN1 ._SENT The_AT0 fictional_AJ0 body_NN1 ,_PUN irreducibly_AV0 affected_VVN by_PRP its_DPS encounters_NN2 with_PRP the_AT0 world_NN1 ,_PUN refuses_VVZ to_TO0 be_VBI merely_AV0 a_AT0 trope_NN1 ,_PUN a_AT0 symbol_NN1 ,_PUN or_CJC an_AT0 occasion_NN1 for_PRP colonial_AJ0 politics_NN1 ._SENT 
