The mission of folk beliefs in the novel Rih al Djanoub: A focus on taboos and superstitions

Abstract

The folk culture denotes the aboriginal culture and knowledge covering tangible and intangible entities such as literary and artistic products, beliefs and customs, science and technology, and the common practices. Taboos and superstitions are the manifestations of popular beliefs, whose reflection on literary texts, similar to proverbs, anecdotes and myths, has a profound effect on the hearts and minds of the masses. The Algerian author Abdelhamid Ben Hadduga, the author of Rih al-janoub, has portrayed the numerous manifestations of popular culture in this novel, as in other literary works by this author. While examining the purposes and themes in which taboo and superstition are employed by Ben Hadduga, this research is built on a descriptive-analytical and critical approach to find out Ben Hadduga’s goal in addressing social, economic, and social characteristics as well as describing the traditional and modern Algeria. His work presents a better portrayal of the intellectual challenges of the younger and older generations and occasionally criticizes the traditions. He depicts these traditions in a wide range of taboos and superstitions by considering the circumstances of the time, events, and the evolution of the story. Punishment, place, monopoly of women, and the restricted social interactions of girls are the examples of taboos. Moreover, a few clear examples of superstitions in the Rih al-janoub novel include placing earthenware on graves to water souls of the dead, overeating at funerals to bestow more mercy upon the deceased, attributing problems and adversities to fairies and spirits, and putting the tongue on red hot sickles by dervishes to pray for rain.

Keywords

• folklore
• taboo
• superstitions
• abdelhamid ben hadduga
• rih al djanoub