Background and Purposes: The Romantic school is one of the major branches of literary movements. It emerged alongside the Symbolism due to their shared affinities and subsequently became a source of inspiration for artists and authors in producing literary and artistic works. Romanticism is also referred to as the Romantic movement. The Term Romantic, used in England since the seventeenth century for poetic expressions, entered France in 1676. From there, it spread to Germany and later to Spain and Russia, dominating literary production until approximately 1850. Various definitions have been proposed for romanticism. According to the 1798 edition Dictionary of the French Academy, the term is defined as follows: “It usually refers to places and landscapes that stimulate the imagination in their poetic and narrative description”. Black Romanticism is a subgenre within literature, also known as black literature. It emerged as a response to chaotic social conditions and turbulent political developments. “The central theme of black literature is Romanticism, which has a long and extensive history in world literature; however, the revival of this attitude as a literary movement—and subsequently as an artistic school with newer and broader characteristics—is a product of the modern era”. This literary tendency can be observed in the works of certain writers and poets, reflecting bitterness and a negative, disillusioned perspective on their surroundings. The present study seeks to uncover the literary manifestations and underlying layers of dark and negative Romanticism in selected stories, thereby offering readers an alternative approach to textual analysis aimed at appreciating its aesthetic dimensions. Research in various fields generally falls into three categories: fundamental, applied, and developmental. The present study is developmental in nature, considering the existing body of work in this area. Given that the aforementioned stories were composed under unfavorable political, cultural, social conditions in Egypt, the themes of dark and negative Romanticism—which arise from such circumstances—are clearly evident in them. This has provided the rationale for their selection, examination, and analysis. The reason for choosing these three particular stories is to obtain examples that correspond to the patterns of black and negative Romanticism and to illustrate them as comprehensively as possible, since a single story such as “Cairo” does not contain all the components associated with this subgenre.
Methodology: The overall method of this research is descriptive-analytical-statistical. However, it should be noted that the data extraction and collection can be carried out through two in Romanticism encompasses both dark and negative dimensions. The examination of pessimistic elements has led critics to categorize a branch of Romanticism as “black”, referring to it with terms such as black and negative Romanticism—for instance, the concept of the “disease of the century”. Black Romanticism possesses a distinct and recognizable structure. Its most salient features include a vague and somber atmosphere, shadowy and unreal characters, a melancholic and sorrowful tone, and extensive use of illusion, dreams, and sleep to create an unreal ambiance, some of which are observable in the stories under discussion. Given that this branch of Romanticism represents a relatively recent and specific perspective on the broader Romantic movement, precise and defined components cannot be found in any reference work. Nevertheless, through careful historical examination of the school, the most significant dark or negative characteristics can be extracted. These include loneliness and isolation, death thoughts, despair, nihilism, the use of erotic themes, and references to opium and drugs. Additional themes pertaining in this literary branch are mentioned earlier in this study. In the following section, patterns such as death thoughts, loneliness and seclusion, violation of social and moral norms, emptiness and despair, smoking and drug use, and the depiction of a frightening atmosphere and captivity will be analyzed.ductive methods: complete and incomplete. In this study, data collection was conducted using the incomplete inductive method; that is, from among the examples related to each pattern of black and negative Romanticism, a number were selected, analyzed, and examined, and their common characteristics were subsequently identified and reported.
Results and Discussion: Romanticism has black and negative dimensions. The study of pessimistic aspects has led critics to analyze a branch of romanticism as black and to refer to it with titles such as black and negative, such as the disease of the century (Seyed Hosseini, 2002: 183). Black romanticism has a prominent and distinguishable structure. Its most important features are a vague and dark atmosphere, shadowy and unreal characters, a depressed and sorrowful tone, extensive use of illusion, dreams and sleep to create an unreal atmosphere, etc. (Soleimani, 2002: 14), some of which are evident in the stories under discussion. Since this branch of Romanticism is considered a new and specific look at the broader school of Romanticism, precise and defined components for it cannot be found in any reference book, but by carefully and historically examining this school, the most important dark or negative characteristics can be extracted, which include loneliness and isolation, death thoughts, despair, nihilism, the use of erotic themes, as well as opium and drugs (Najafi Hajivor, 1400: 89). There are other themes in this literary branch that were mentioned earlier. In the following, patterns such as death thoughts, loneliness and seclusion, violating social and moral norms, emptiness and despair, smoking and drug use, and drawing a frightening atmosphere and captivity will be analyzed.
Conclusion: Through the examination and analysis of the three stories—“Al-Sheikha,” “Cairo,” and “Al-Hissan Al-Ajvaf”—it was determined that most patterns of black and negative Romanticism are rooted in the unfavorable conditions prevailing in Egyptian society. The author has achieved relative success in using the majority of these patterns in his narratives. It can even be argued that these components influenced the selection of titles, such as Al-Hissan Al-Ajvaf, which itself connotes loneliness, despair, and emptiness. Among the axes of black and negative Romanticism, the motif of loneliness and emptiness is the most frequently recurring theme in the aforementioned stories, with 31 and 27 occurrences, respectively. The author utilizes these motifs as a means of expressing the depth of his despondency and existential reflection, often manifested through the appearance of the characters. It should also be noted that in the contemporary era—with the advancement of technology and the convergence of the elements and components—the grounds for feelings of loneliness and emptiness among individuals have grown more than ever before. Many people have become confined to an island of loneliness and emptiness, and human relationships have been significantly undermined.