الفهرس 
The Aesthetics of Space
L ’espace m ’a toujours rendu silencieuxOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
This study is a comparative study of the aesthetics of space in C. Dickens’ Oliver Twist (1839) and
Great Expectations (1861); and N. Mahfouz’s Palace Walk (1956), making use of G. Bachelard’s The
Poetics of Space (1958) and Bakhtin’s concept ofthe chronotope.
Chapter I is a presentation of the aesthetics of space in literature with a close reading
ofBachelard’s The Poetics of
Space (1958). In his Poetics, Bachelard examines spaces of
I -
intimacy and immensity. He believes that the poetic image has
an entity and a dynamism of its own. Bachelard explores the philosophical significance of the
various kinds of space that attract and concentrate the attention. Chapter II is a critical
representation of how space is depicted in the novels of Dickens and Mahfouz. The two
realist novelists introduce space as a presence and an influence that contribute to the moral and
ideological meaning of every text. Chapter III shows the impact of space on character. It shows
how a character like Oliver, Pip, or Fahmy cannot be fully understood without a complete
understanding of mid-nineteenth century England or early twentieth century Cairo. Chapter IV
expounds M. Bakhtin’s concept of the chronotope, showing how space and time, in a work of art are
the primary categories of perception as forms of immediate reality. The conclusion offers to
present
the role of space as· an important element in the fiction of Dickens and Mahfouz. It reveals the
affinities and differences between the two novelists in an attempt to have an insight into the use
of space as an influential aesthetic value in fiction.