The Effects of Social Transformations on Family Ties in the Saudi Social Novel: Ibrahim Al-Nassir as a Case Study

Abstract

This article investigates the social transformations inside the Saudi family and their effect on intimate family ties. Social novels represent a variety of family relationships, some of which are still governed by long-established social customs, while others have been shaped by the modern era and are more appropriate to contemporary lifestyles. This article will begin by comparing the representation of traditional and more modern-style marriages, identifying the most significant changes in social customs as a result of social transformation and using this to understand the foundations of relationships within the Saudi family, particularly those between husband and wife. Two distinct sorts of husband-wife relationships are shown in Saudi narrative discourse. The first is the traditional image of the relationship, which is devoid of emotion and in which the two parties do not cooperate actively. The other, a more modern image of the relationship, appears to be more harmonious and sympathetic. This article will also shed light on parent-child relationships by contrasting traditional and modern images of this relationship in the Saudi social novel.