The Interpretation of Historical Referencing in the Novel ‘Morisco’ by Hassan Ouriad

The historical dimension in the novel takes on a reference framework that is tense, based on continuity and expansion, dictated by the law of succession between two texts separated by an aesthetic distance demanded by the art of the novel. Direct engagement with this reference framework leads to superficial judgments on the authenticity and artistry of the work. Narrative analysis alone does not help in revealing its secrets or resolving its complexities, due to the intertwining of the historical reference with the ideological and narrative aspects. Therefore, it relies on the concepts of sequential semiotics as established by Vladimir Krizinsky, represented through a set of mechanisms examining the relationship between the historical and the imaginative, such as mediation, embodiment, blending, illusion, and density. This study aims to apply these concepts to Hassan Ouriad's The Morisco (2011), a novel that adopts the tragedy of the Moriscos as its historical reference. The Moriscos were Muslims of Andalusia who remained after its fall in 1492, suffering under the Inquisition before being forcibly exiled to various lands. Hassan Ouriad’s novel is based on two main sources: the travelogue of Shihab al-Din Ahmed ibn Qasim al-Hajari, known as Afuqay (1569-1642) in Al-Shihab Ila Liqa' al-Ahbab (1611-1613), and the historical writings of the contemporary Morisco historian Muhammad Qashtillo. The study is divided into three sections: the concept of reference, the mechanisms of historical referencing, and the laws of historical referencing.