The Influence Of Egyptian Novel On The Emergence Of The First Modern Malaysian Novel

Zainab’ novel written by Al- Haikal was the first novel in modern
Egyptian literature. The theme tells about women's freedom from the shackles of
life traditions. Similar theme is found in Faridah Hanom‟s novel which is
Malaysia's first novel, by Syed Syeikh al-Hadi. The plot of Faridah Hanom
revolves around the above issue which takes the backdrop of Cairo and its
surroundings. The current study aims to identify the similarities between Zainab's
novel and Faridah Hanom's novel in terms of themes, characters, plots and
backgrounds. The comparison and analysis carried out between the two novels
clearly indicate that there are similarities in the selection of themes, characters, plot
construction structures and depicted background images. The main theme of both
novels is freedom of women from the grip of tradition that does not allow women
the right to go out to work, to study and to choose a life partner. Both characters
are similarly played by female characters and assisted by male characters. The only
difference is the number of angles. From the point of the plot, both revolve around
the love relationship between two teenagers as a result of love at first sight. The
similarity of background, however, can be seen through the plots that occur in the
Egyptian states, the cities of Alexandria and Sudan. In addition, the novels portray
the village cultural lives. This equivalences show that the Zainab‟s novel has
influenced the creation of Faridah Hanom's novel through adaptation form.
Keywords: Zainab, Faridah Hanom, comparison, Novel, women freedom