البعد الاجتماعي والوجودي بين روايتي البؤساء لفيكتور هوجو واللص والكلاب لنجيب محفوظ The social and existential dimension between Victor Hugo's Les Misérables and Naguib Mahfouz's The Thief and the Dogs Section Articles

Abstract

The novel is a mirror that reflects the social and existential reality of different eras. Through it, literature can address major human issues such as poverty, injustice, marginalization, and the struggle between good and evil. In this context, two of the most prominent novels written in French and Arabic literature stand out: Les Misérables (1862) by the French novelist Victor Hugo and The Thief and the Dogs (1961) by the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz. In these novels, a critical vision of society and a profound interest in the existential dimension intersect

Les Misérables addresses the issue of poverty and class injustice in nineteenth-century French society, focusing on the character of Jean Valjean, who represents a suffering man seeking moral redemption. Meanwhile, The Thief and the Dogs reflects the tragedy of the Arab people after the July Revolution in Egypt, through the character of Saeed Mahran, who embodies anger, betrayal, and the search for justice in a turbulent reality.The research deals with an analytical comparison between the two novels in terms of depicting the social dimension, raising existential issues, and highlighting the differences and similarities in the writers’ treatment of these issues, under different historical and cultural circumstances, which reveals the unity of the human experience despite the difference in time and placeThe study adopted the comparative analytical approach, relying on the social approach in critical studies as the most appropriate approach for this study. Keywords: (social dimension, existential dimension, Les Misérables, The Thief and the Dogs).