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| Plot Summary of Palace of Desire |
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""Palace of Desire" is the second of three novels in the Cairo Trilogy by the 1988 Egyptian Nobel Laureate, Naguib Mahfouz. The story centers on the two remaining sons;Yasin and Kamal.Kamal struggles with his father over the choice of his university studies: he wishes to become a teacher and writer of philosophy, while his father wants him to pursue a career in law.
Yasin earns the disapproval of his father over the divorce he is forced to grant to his pregnant first wife because of his rape of this wife's maid in their living quarters.Yasin follows a life of lust ; after the divorce, he marries the fiancee of his dead brother, Maryam, over the objections of his stepmother, Amina, who remembers Maryam's love of a British soldier.
Yasin proves unfaithful to Maryam who demans a divorce after Yasin brings hoje his lover, the lute-player, Zanuba, who is presently his father's mistress. They make love in Yasin's living room, awakening Maryam who screams and throws him out.
The family's vicissitudes are a metaphor for Egypt's struggles in the years from WWI to the thirties, when the government forms a parliamentary democracy. However, the novel ends with the dissolution of the government and the demoralisation of the family. "
Betty-Jeanne Korson, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Palace of Desire |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- 1900-1920's
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- GENERAL--no other subplots apply
- love triangle/polygon
- seduction (yum!)
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Father (or standin)
- Son
- Sister
- Husband
Family, loving relations
Yes
Special relationship with
- father
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main char. serviced by prostitute?
Yes
Lover is
- of a different social class
Wisdom from homeless/bum?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
- trader
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Arab
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- trader
- accountant
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 ()
Africa
Yes
Kind of Africa:
- Arabic Africa
City?
Yes
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- actual description of hetero sex
- descript. of female anat. (the big B's)
- descript. of female anat. (the big V)
- rape/molest (yeech!)
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- No single main character?
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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