In this course we survey the evolution of the modern Arabic novel, discuss the important stages in this evolution and learn about the status of the novel in relation to other modern Arabic literary genres, the main currents, prominent writers and works, etc. A selection of novels and novellas will be chosen for analysis; we shall discuss their stylistic and linguistic characteristic, the works’ unique features and their contribution to the development of the genre. We compare these books with classical narratives and discuss how Western novels influenced the evolution and formation of the Arab identity of modern Arabic novels.