Nedjma the almond download pdf

What is troubling, however, is that, in their rush to hear about the sex lives of Muslim women, few reviewers have bothered to engage the novel critically. And, even more telling, none of these reviewers appear to be Muslim, Arab, or North African, much less Moroccan.

The story told in The Almond is one many readers of erotica will recognize: A village girl Badra escapes from her loveless and sexually barren marriage to the big city Tangier where she lives with a liberal relative Aunt Selma and meets a handsome, experienced man Driss. To the careful reader, there are many details that make these accounts of life in Morocco rather unconvincing. The woman who comes to dress Badra for her wedding is named Neggafa, without a hint of irony.

Neggafas are a cross between hairdressers and wedding planners, and their role is to prepare the bride for her big day. In the hammam, young Badra describes women who carefully wrap themselves in big cloths and hide behind bathroom doors before undressing. Clearly, Nedjma has never stepped into a Moroccan hammam. Probably not. Your Comment:. Great book, The Almond pdf is enough to raise the goose bumps alone. Add a review Your Rating: Your Comment:.

Recent Downloads. Clay by David Almond. The Cross of Lead by Avi. She also considers that talking about sex openly is a way to break down barriers that keep Arab women silent. Almond as an Erotica It is agreed by most critics that the Almond is an overview about the cultural norms of Moroccan society and the lives of its rural females. In other words, it tends to explain the position of sexuality in this society. It is the last taboo for democracy.

It is a cry of protest. Nedjma 66 Additionally, one should inform that female erotica, in Arabic literature, has not found its place until the emergence of feminist movements. Indeed, Moroccan female authors are the first to take in charge this type of literature. According to Davidson 26 , ethno methodology is a sociological theory which is postulated by the American sociologist Garfinkel during the s, although it has been harshly criticised by many critics due to the fact that most researchers focus on quantitative methods in their analysis.

In this sense, Garfinkel 11 8 defines ethno methodology as follows: The investigation of the rational properties in indexical expressions and other practical actions as contingent ongoing accomplishments of organized artful practices of everyday life During the s, Sacks develops two variants of ethno methodology including MCA or categorization analysis and conversation analysis CA.

However, she fails to overcome the tradition. Thus, she accepts her destiny since she hopes that her husband will be gentle. Nedjma, In fact, Nedjma also reveals that Arab girls are not only shocked from the wedding night, but also from their relatives who are waiting outside the door for marriage confirmation through the form of blood on a shirt. In her point of view, it is also a window towards freedom and a protest against the misunderstanding of Islam. In this vein, Lebbady idem reports her speech as the following passage denotes: Sexuality, pleasure in her own body, the separation of love and sin showed her the way to freedom.

All the evils of an Islamic society that feels itself threatened by the West […] are mirrored in the oppression of women. In fact, she tries to show her sexual beauty in front of her male peers in order to have control over them and this is apparent in the following passages: […] I am the one with the most beautiful cunt on the earth, the deepest, warmest, wettest, noisiest, most fragrant and singing, the one most fond of cocks when they rise up like harpoons.

Nedjma 04 A closer look on the previous passages reveals that the writer tries to use metaphors and literary images in purpose. Moreover, this passage also shows that the writer knows a lot about oriental classics and the methods they use in their erotic works especially in poetry. Another image, that Nedjma tends to express it, is how females tend to free their sexual desires and express their feelings and emotions. In fact, Badra rebels against the traditions of Islam through making love in Ramadan which is seen 9 As cited by Lebbady, Hmed married two females before Badra, but he abandoned his wives because they did not give him children.

Hence, Badra was obliged to marry Hmed without any love. Before marriage ceremony, Badra has been forced by her mother-in-law to see her virginity as any other Arab females.

Indeed, Nedjma tries to show that this stage affects deeply Arab girls and during marriage night, Hmed tries to make Badra his wife. In short, Nedjma shows for the reader all sexual scenes in purpose.

Her central aim is to talk about the sufferance of Arab females from those traditions and this is apparent from the following passage: He spread my legs, and his member against my sex […] His sex, which fumbled between my thighs, was blind and stupid. It hurt me, so that I cramped more with each movement […] gasping and sweating, he laid me on the sheep skin, lifted my legs, nearby dislocating me thereby, and continued his frenzy.

In case of all Muslim societies, girls are traditionally expected to maintain virgin until their marriage. In other words, virginity is a symbol of honour for girls, their families and husbands. This fact is apparent in Almond from the wedding night of Badra until she escapes. Hence, she ruins the honour and reputation of her husband. As a result, her brother decides to kill her if she decides to return back to Imchouk. Of a love that states its name, often crudely, and is not burdened by any moral standards other than those of the heart […] I raise these words as one raises a glass, to the health of Arab women, for whom recapturing the confiscated mention of the body is half the battle in the quest to healing their men.

As it is explained in this quotation, Nedjma has built her novel on specific goals, although many critics maintain that sexuality in this novel is exaggerated and is delivered to realise sexual and emotional entertainment. Hence, it is erotic in nature since its plot describes the real social situation of the characters and how they progress through time. Moreover, this sort of fiction can be seen as a gift or blessing not only to feminist literature, but also to the world of fiction in general.

As far as the Almond is concerned, Nedjma has dealt with all tabooed topics that are banned in Islamic norms including prostitution and homosexuality. It tries to participate in feminist literature, although she has been accused by most Arab critics such as Nada Elia. This criticism is based on the fact that Nedjma tries to eroticise Arab culture and Islamic norms.

Among the topics that Nedjma tries to treat in this novel is sexual violence. The latter is mentioned at the beginning and the end of the novel when Badra firstly escapes from her hopeless marriage to Tangier and secondly from the humiliation of her lover Driss who refuses to marry her and, thus, their relation remains illegal and secret. Besides, Nedjma tries to address the mental paralysis of most Arab societies and the dominance of males over females. In her interview with Alan Riding 2 , Nedjma recognises the fact of Arab societies, stating that they do not know how to love.

They watch romantic soap operas on television out of frustration. However, it is still seen as taboo for Arab researchers not only to write erotic fiction, but even to tackle topics related to such sort of literature.

Besides, many critics posit the view that female writers are in favour of eroticism, whereas males search for entertaining the reader through a series of sexual scenes. As far as the Almond is concerned, Nedjma has challenged the morals of her society through exposing the sexual life of a Moroccan Muslim woman. She makes sexuality as her strategy to realise her aims.