Narrative and narratology are fundamental topics in the field of fiction literature, playing a crucial role in the analysis and understanding of literary works. Narrative refers to the structured and organized retelling of events based on various elements such as time, place, characters, and point of view. Narratology, as a precise and systematic discipline, examines the frameworks, patterns, and techniques of narration, enabling a deeper analysis of the narrative structure and its impact on the audience. In this study, the novel Afrah al-Gubbah by the Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz is analyzed as a distinctive example. This novel, composed of four chapters each told from the perspective of one of the four main characters, stands as a prominent example of a polyphonic and multilayered narrative, allowing readers to experience different dimensions of a single event from varying viewpoints. Such a structure not only increases the complexity of the story but also facilitates a multifaceted and profound understanding of characters and events.
This research, employing a descriptive-analytical approach and utilizing library and digital resources, is dedicated to examining and analyzing the main components of Gérard Genette's narratology theory in the nove The study aims to clarify the application of Genette's narratological concepts within the narrative structure of this story to achieve a deeper understanding of the mentioned novel Afrah al-Gubbah in the given context. The results indicate that the most important narrative techniques used in this story include anachronistic retrospection, dramatic scenes, frequent repetition, and the use of diverse intradiegetic narrators. Naguib Mahfouz intentionally begins and develops the narration ambiguously so that through repeated returns to the past, ambiguities gradually become clear to the reader. Additionally, by repeating scenes, the narrative pace slows down, and the narrator changes in each chapter, an innovation that revea