The main objective of this study is to examine, from an Islamic perspective, the representation of the family institution as represented in both Western and Muslim literatures. The study attempts to critically examine the representation of the family in Alice Munro’s The Children Stay, Boys and Girls and The Eye as an instance of Western literature. On the other hand, the study presents a critical analysis of the representation of the family in Randa Abdel Fattah’s novel Where the Streets Had a Name as an instance of the image of the family in the Islamic culture. Through a descriptive analysis, the selected works of the two writers are critically examined to expose the reality of the family institution in both Muslim world and the West. Moreover, this study aims to provide a deep examination of the position of women in the family within the Western culture and the state of women in the Muslim family within the Islamic culture. The research is organized into four chapters. Chapter One is an introduction which introduces the research statement, objectives and significance. It also presents the concept of family, its definition and kinds and the vital role that the family plays in the society. It also throws some light on the reality of women and children in both Western and Islamic cultures. Chapter Two introduces the two women writers and their views about gender and feminism in their literary works. Chapter Three critically examines the representation of the Western and Muslim family as represented in the works of Alice Munro and Randa Abdelfattah. The last chapter concludes the research with a summary of the main strands and concluding remarks of the study and presents the research recommendations and further suggestions for reading and searching.
الملخص
