The Female Narrative of War in Harras written by Nasim Marashi and Beirut Blues Written by Hannan al-Sheikh

"Women's Writing" is a significant approach in feminist criticism. This approach is a distinct female narrative element of male writing, which represents the difference in the application of emotional lexis, more use of colored phrases, oaths, principles of procrastination, losers and syntactic characteristics such as the use of prayer sentences (curses and prayers), Descriptive sentences, questional sentences appear in the form of self-esteem, and, finally, short and simplified sentences. Contents and issues such as historical affliction of self-confidence, and misandry, self-discovery, life concerns and overcoming romantic love are also from the feminine content. Nasim Marashi in Haras and Hanan al-Sheikh (the Lebanese female writer) in Beirut Blues, have different perspectives over war and human relations in the war condition and, in particular, position of women in the family and society. Using a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach of the female narrative of war, the effect of war on women's lives and their gender restrictions in the patriarchal society is described in this study and, furthermore, it was shown that female writers emphasized the terrible consequences of the war and expressed its affection and devotion based on their female spiritualities. They have never praised war, though. Both writers, by using emotional interpretations, of colored phrases, oaths and the emotional and praying sentences, and the simplicity and short sentences have considered contents such as historical affliction of self-confidence, and misandry, self-discovery, life concerns & overcoming of romantic love. 
Introduction:
Women writers sometimes have different and even opposite views from men on various topics. One of the mentioned differences is the one between female and male narratives of war. Iran and Lebanon are among the countries that have faced domestic and foreign wars. War and its consequences created a special literary genre that was significantly different from the literature before the war. These changes are seen in the structure, language, and content of the literature. The literature of sacred defense is about writings and works that are related to the imposed war and its issues, and their main themes are war and its aftermath, also known as “resistance literature.” Lebanese literature, from a country that went through years of civil war and turmoil, has also become completely connected to war.
Method:
This research discusses the works of two female writers who have explored the theme of war in their fiction: Nasim Marashi and Hanan al-Shaykh. Marashi's novel Haras tells the story of a family whose life and destiny were affected by the eight-year long war between Iran and Iraq and its aftermath. Hanan al-Shaykh, in her novel Beirut Blues, portrays Lebanon in the civil war and the inner struggles of a patriotic character who has to choose between leaving or staying in her homeland. She shows the horrors of war, violence, exile, and destruction. Both novels present a feminine perspective on war, and the two writers have given an account full of worry and anxiety but also tinged with nostalgic love and emotion, which is remarkable. Marashi has a smooth and natural writing style, and she chooses the themes of her stories from people's concerns and social problems. Her stories are not linear. She also keeps the reader interested with captivating suspense until the last pages of the book. In Haras, the characters have a feminine spirit, and the writer, by describing their feelings, has created an engaging narrative. Hanan al-Shaykh, a feminist writer in Arabic literature, has written stories that challenge injustice and oppression, especially against women. She expresses the feminine spirit, emotions, and feelings, and uses a language that is intimate and simple without compromising the subject for formality and dryness. This research is a descriptive-analytical and comparative study. It introduces the theoretical foundations of the research, which are the components of feminine writing style. It studies the novels Haras and Beirut Blues and examines the indicators of feminine narrative from the perspective of feminine writing at three levels: lexical, syntactical, and content. It analyzes the components of feminine narrative, such as the use of feminine emotional expressions, swear words, phrases that show reasoning and emphasis, sentences that apply or request something, questions that are used as soliloquies, sentences that are incomplete or simple, and contents that reflect historical resentment, forgetfulness, hatred of men, concern for life, romantic love, and self-discovery.
Results and Discussion:
The female characters in “Haras” want to pursue their individual rights. But in “Beirut Blues”, the female character tries to reach her lover or free the land from war. Women describe war and their emotional perspective, which is full of sadness, sacrifice, and grief. Haras and Beirut Blues show the features of feminine storytelling in the areas of lexis, expressions, words, emotional expressions, use of words for colors, phrases that show reasoning and emphasis, sentences that ask or beg for something, swear words, and how they make sentences. Most of the words used in both works are about family, women's issues, and feminine interests. These two works reflect the emotions and feelings of the female narrator. By using simple writing, descriptive details, and questions / appeals (prayer and curse), these writers have shown how their writing differs from masculine writing. Both writers have used a variety of words to express emotions and beauty. For example, both writers are careful when using colors. Both writers' works have emotional expressions that are common in women's speech, such as using small words, curses, and prayers, and phrases that show the speaker's passion, excitement, and feelings.
Many themes such as criticizing forgetfulness, dreaming and imagining, wishing, waiting, harted toward men, finding and exploring oneself, caring for life, and the dominance of romantic love, are the content features of feminine narrative. Haras has more examples of the main characters in the story using pleading sentences and swear words in their language, because the female characters have less self-confidence, while Beirut Blues shows more of the power of love. For both writers, family is the source and basis of life in the theme of caring for life. The writers mention the supportive role of men in the family. In the relationship of Asmahan, the narrator in Beirut Blues, has more examples of the theme of the dominance of romantic love. The female characters in both works try to find their identity and place in their own ways. Paying attention to home is also a noticeable topic and the women in both novels spend most of their time at home. Dreaming is also one of the concepts that the two writers use.
Conclusion:
In these novels, two women writers told stories of war from a feminine perspective. We found that both of them expressed their emotions and feelings clearly, using details, simple language, and questions and requests. They also used short sentences more often because they paid attention to small things. Their writing showed their passion, excitement, and feelings. In Haras, the character Rasool showed how men in a male-dominated society treated women as "the other" and did not value them as much as men in every aspect of his life, work, and family. Rasool preferred sons over daughters. Both novels also showed how women searched for themselves and their identity as women, but they did it in different ways. Both novels had themes of dreaming, imagining, and wanting a home and a family. The women in the stories used these themes to escape from the harsh reality of the world outside. The Lebanese novel focused more on the theme of romantic love, and the character Asmahan used her relationships with different people to overcome her doubts and find herself. Haras also had romance, but it was more influenced by society and the mood of the people.