Representation of gendered art through gendered memories in Ahlam Mosteghanemis Memory in the Flesh and Chaos of the Senses

This essay considers the way that Ahlam Mosteghanemi makes use of gendered memory in her two novels Memory in the Flesh (2008) first published in 1985 and Chaos of the Senses (2007), first published in 1998. In order to make it clear which text is being referred to, the references to these main texts will include author name, abbreviated titles MIF and COS respectively and page number for quotations. Here, it is argued that gendered memory is linked to the ways the protagonists in the novels approach their chosen art forms of painting and writing, each from a different gendered perspective. For this purpose, the use of trauma theory, as applied to post-colonial literature, provides a useful lens through which to analyse the main protagonists and their approach to memory and art. Thus, the study constructs a theoretical framework for linking gender and art in fiction through memories of trauma. For instance, in Mosteghanemi’s first novel, Memory in the Flesh, the male protagonist, Khaled, takes up painting, while the female protagonist, Ahlam/Hayat, becomes a writer. Key words: Memory, Gender, Trauma, Art.