The Polysemy of Carnivalization in the Novel Cinderellas of Muscat by Huda Hamad

Abstract

The carnivalesque sense of the world as a vision of utter freedom has become commonplace in various novels of postcolonial and feminist provenience. In her novel Cinderellas of Muscat, the Omani writer Huda Hamad uniquely re­constructs Bakhtin’s ideas of carnival, decrowning, liminality and polyphony. The novel depicts a multitude of worlds, including the fantasy world of the jinniyāt, the daily hardships of an ordinary Omani woman, the diverse destinies of the Cinderellas from Muscat, and utopian moments during the carnival ma­gic. The nature of the presented worlds is understood through Bakhtin’s ideas whose meanings Huda Hamad skilfully multiplies in the context of Arabic culture and literature.