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Mysticism In Alif The Unseen

1276 Words6 Pages
Alif the Unseen is unlike most traditional quest-fantasy narratives in the sense that it not only reverses the conventional gender roles in that genre but culturally, as well. In most quest-fantasy narratives, the male protagonist is the one who goes on the fantastical journey to some far-off land. This is the case with Alif when he is escaping from the Hand. A.T.U. is different in the sense that Alif carries out a portion of it behind a computer screen, hence the title of the book. Another way that Alif the Unseen provides a unique voice in the realm of fantasy is that it blends technology with the fantastic. This is seen in the novel (Wilson 226b), when Alif constructs a great tower, to thwart the plans of the Hand to use the knowledge contained in the Alf Yeom to cement the State’s power in cyber-space and end freedom for the citizenry who use it. Another thing that makes A.T.U. an intriguing step into modern fantasy is that it blends certain parts of Islamic mysticism into the narrative, making it a window for the reader to see into the world that the novel depicts. Magic enables the novel to express the religious views of Islam in ways that could not have been possible without it, an example being when Alif, Vikram, the convert, and Dina escape the Hand into the “Immovable Alley” (Wilson 154b), a world full of magic and wonder. Islamic mysticism, technology, and unique quest-fantasy come together to form a narrative that exhibits the best, and newest, of each style.
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