The Aesthetics of Titling and the Fantasy of Meaning – An Approach in The Sea Fairy by Jamila Zeneir

Abstract

The Algerian short story has surpassed the traditional stereotypical pattern, moving toward a new horizon of writing, adopting narrative experimentation as a way to engage with contemporary reality, expressing its content both in form and substance. This has made it popular and widely accepted among readers. One of the most prominent issues raised in the literary field is the aesthetics of titling; the title is the first threshold a reader encounters, arousing curiosity to engage with the theme of the text and understand its meanings. To shape the architecture of the contemporary short story and venture into experimentation and modernization, the Algerian writer created a fantastical (marvelous) tableau through the title, carrying an aesthetic dimension liberated from narrative monotony and loaded with meaningful dimensions reflecting its intention and eliciting the reader’s wonder. The Algerian writer Jamila Zeneir is one of the authors who led the forefront of experimentation thanks to this new narrative form, as evidenced in her short story collection The Sea Fairy, using the marvelous element as a contrasting color that pierces the horizon of expectation and carries features of the extraordinary and illogical.
Accordingly, this research is based on several questions regarding the topic: the aesthetics of titling and the fantasy of meaning, namely:
• To what extent has the fantasy of the title contributed to adding aesthetic value to the new short story text, and how is this presence manifested?
• Did the writer employ the fantasy of the title purely for aesthetic purposes, aiming to evoke wonder and multiple meanings, or is it an experimental mechanism aimed at innovation and surpassing the familiar, to create a literary text that bets on inherent novelty?
• To what extent did Jamila Zeneir succeed in selecting marvelous (fantastic) titles for her collection that harmonize with the symbolism of the narrative events and reflect its intentions?