Master Research: Philosophical Thought in Mikhail Naimy’s Novel The Book of Mirdad: The Lighthouse and the Haven
This study examines “Philosophical Thought in Mikhail Naimy’s novel The Book of Mirdad: The Lighthouse and the Haven,”* which is considered one of his most significant works. It sheds light, on the one hand, on his literature and intellectual vision, and on the other, on the position of the novel itself within his literary and philosophical corpus. In this work, Naimy breaks the traditional boundaries between philosophy and literature and develops a new concept of myth through the symbolism of the character Mirdad, as well as by linking the mythical with the philosophical, thereby adding intellectual depth to the literary experience.
This study seeks to provide an overall perspective on the philosophical thought embedded in the novel. While it endeavors to highlight the mythical dimension, its philosophical implications, and its function in the narrative, it equally aims to achieve a more appropriate understanding of the novel. This is pursued through interpreting the myth from the perspective of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, which bases textual understanding on the hermeneutic circle. This approach, in turn, relies on a set of interpretive procedures that take into account the complex artistic nature of a unique literary work inspired by philosophy, myth, and religion, woven into a creative literary fabric.
The study reveals how Naimy adapts myth in the novel to serve an expressive function for conveying his philosophical visions by embodying abstract ideas. He also employs myth as a critical tool through which he addresses the collective consciousness in order to transcend intellectual constraints. Furthermore, philosophical hermeneutics, through its applied procedures, contributes to situating an initial understanding of the text by acknowledging the prior intellectual, cultural, and historical experiences surrounding it. The interpretive procedures demonstrate how the historical, cultural, and intellectual context in which The Book of Mirdad was written is reflected in a renewed understanding of the novel in light of historical transformations and evolving cultural and intellectual contexts. Thus, the novel’s influence extends beyond the text itself to impact human life.
Keywords: philosophical literature, philosophical novel, myth, philosophical hermeneutics, hermeneutics, utopian literature.
