Abstract
This paper attempts to apply Gérard Genette's model of hypertextuality to Najīb Mafū's Malamat al-arāfīsh in order to demonstrate the problem of employing theories of literature developed in the West to the Arabic novel. The paper begins with a brief outline of the principal terms of Genette's hypertextuality before examining how Arab popular narrative and religious myth are used in Malamat al-arāfīsh. By reworking some of the principles of sīra into a modern literary context, Mafū produces a more indigenous style of novel, which exploits the romantic vision of sīra and Islamic legend to convey themes relating to man's social and existential problems. Genette's theory fails to account properly for the genre transformation effected in arāfīsh and for the intertextual relationships Mafū sets up to confirm certain themes and messages. The conclusion is therefore that, like other theories of literature developed with the western canon in mind, Genette's model cannot be applied to the Arabic novel without modification.
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