Statement of the Problem and Purpose: From the perspective of classical sociological literary critics, referring to the intellectual and social infrastructures that nurture a literary work is crucial for its understanding. The new generation of sociologists in the 20th century, such as Pierre Bourdieu and Pierre V.Zima, introduced another component into the sociological critique of literary works. According to this generation's view, the role of social issues was diminished, and the function of language in reconstructing social phenomena became prominent. With the emergence of this new thinking, the approach to literary works also changed. With the rise of famous poets and writers in the 20th century, literature moved beyond the limited scope of classical form and content, nurturing new themes. These works, in their essence, strove to change the worldview of the prevailing order and critique the social and political structures of the changing Arab nations. Gibran Khalil Gibran, in his literary works, depicted important political and social issues, employing language and literature as tools for critiquing various matters. "The Broken Wings" is one of his most famous works. In this piece, Gibran presents a form of social discourse through narrative structure within the genre of the short novel. This work, considered a rebellion against flawed traditional customs and the deficient social structure of Lebanese society, contains a sociological critique that merits examination from the viewpoint of social literary criticism. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the novel "The Broken Wings" as a cohesive text and linguistic structure that emerged in the critical discourse of Lebanese society, relying on the theory of Pierre Bourdieu and Bauman. It seeks to explain the meaningful relationship between the narrative structure of "The Broken Wings" and the reflection of the themes and problems of 20th-century Lebanese society.
Methodology: This research employed a descriptive-analytical method to examine the theoretical components of Pierre Bourdieu and Bauman in the novel "The Broken Wings." Data collection was conducted through library research, consulting relevant books, and analyzing the aforementioned novel. An effort was made to extract the relevant components by analyzing and reading the novel based on the theory of Pierre Bourdieu and Bauman, providing evidence from the novel's text and correlating it with each component.
Discussion and Analysis: From the perspective of classical literary sociologists, examining the fundamental social and intellectual structures that nurture a literary work is vital for comprehending it, as literature and society are in a state of continuous evolution and mutual influence. Thus, a literary work cannot be separated from the overall activity of society. The emergence of a new generation of sociologists in the 20th century, such as Pierre Bourdieu and Bauman, introduced another dimension to the sociological critique of literary works. In Arabic literature, works that had long served the interests of the ruling class and promoted their ideology began to transcend the limited frameworks of classical form and content, especially with the advent of significant poets and writers in the 20th century, generating new themes. These works reflected an effort to challenge the prevailing worldview and critique the social and political structures of changing Arab nations. Gibran, the renowned Lebanese-American writer of the 20th century, is among those who addressed contemporary social issues and criticized the political and social structures governing Lebanon, such as the Christian feudal lords in works like "Adwiyyat Adwiyyeh." "Al-Ajniha al-Mutakassira" (The Broken Wings), one of Gibran's most famous pieces, was first published in 1912.
As a short novel, it represents Gibran's unique literary style. In this narrative, he executes a form of social discourse through the narrative structure of the short novel genre. The social, cultural, and intellectual structures of Lebanon in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which were based on a religious-political feudal system, served as the intellectual and linguistic foundation of this work, playing a fundamental role in shaping its themes and core structure. This context led to a critique of traditional society with its distinct values, the dualities arising from wealth disparity, and moral decay. This work, seen as a rebellion against flawed traditional customs and the defective social structure of Lebanese society, contains a sociological critique worthy of examination from the perspective of social literary critiques.
Findings: By examining the novel based on Bauman's theory, it was determined that social, cultural, and intellectual structures played a significant role as the linguistic and intellectual context of this work, influencing its thematic concerns and core structure. Furthermore, Gibran portrays love as a liberating and pure force, but he demonstrates how rigid social structures and traditions can annihilate its freedom. Lexically, the author extracts and presents concepts of idealism and utopia from the discrepancies and deficiencies of society to strengthen the individual's resilience in the face of hardship. Ideas such as living with dignity in death, defining love in terms of destruction, and the bitter humor and laughter that address these deficiencies dominate the work's semantic dualities. These concepts, despite criticizing the flawed policies and structures in society, also embody a form of romantic idealism.
Narratively, the narrator is not entirely neutral and sometimes exhibits bias or biased tendencies, influenced by the linguistic and discursive elements that govern the narrator's viewpoint. Consequently, the narrator shares a deep emotional connection with the victimized character in the story, indicating that their narration cannot be entirely objective. This particularity reflects the conflict and fundamental duality in the narrator's psychological state. Importantly, through the representation of conflicting emotions and the narrator's ambiguous storytelling, Gibran attempts to convey the challenges of human emotions while addressing the complexities of relationships and the true meaning of love to the audience. In the narrative section, the narrator's account is not neutral and sometimes falls into bias or partiality, which, of course, stems from the linguistic and discursive aspect dominating the narrator. Therefore, the narrator has a deep emotional connection with the oppressed character in the story, which makes it impossible for his narration to be completely impartial. This partiality may itself contain a contradiction and duality in the narrator's psychological state.