Narrative Techniques in Contemporary Fiction: A Comparative Study of The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz and My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk

Abstract

This study falls within the framework of contemporary comparative literature, aiming to explore narrative techniques across two different cultural contexts through a comparative analysis of Naguib Mahfouz’s The Thief and the Dogs and Orhan Pamuk’s My Name Is Red. The research is based on the hypothesis that the transformations in contemporary fiction are not merely formal developments, but profound expressions of evolving philosophical and aesthetic visions.The study focuses on analyzing the most prominent narrative techniques in both novels, including narrative voice, polyphony, stream of consciousness, narrative temporality, and metafiction, revealing how these techniques serve the psychological and intellectual depth of the characters and reshape the reader’s engagement with the text. Mahfouz exemplifies Arabic psychological realism, reflecting the individual’s struggle against authority and society, whereas Pamuk employs a postmodern approach that interweaves history and imagination, breaking the narrative illusion through multiple voices and perspectives.The research employs a comparative methodology supported by structural and cultural narrative analysis to highlight points of convergence and divergence between the two narrative experiences and to examine the influence of cultural and civilizational context on the construction of the narrative. The study concludes that, despite the differences in cultural contexts, contemporary fiction shares a common goal: to deconstruct narrative centrality, restore agency to the marginalized self, and engage the reader as an active participant in meaning-making.