This study explores the representation of urban spaces in Saudi women’s novels from the turn of the twenty-first century, a time marked by shifting social and cultural dynamics in Saudi Arabia. During this period, the city becomes a multifaceted environment where traditional gender norms collide with the forces of modernity. The research focuses on two influential novels—Laila Al-Juhani’s Alfirdaus Al-‘Aliyyab Barren Paradise (1998) and Raja Alem’s Setir Concealment (2005)—to examine how female characters navigate, negotiate, and reinterpret urban spaces. These characters not only encounter urban settings that are often restrictive but also find ways to assert their presence and voice within them. Using a combination of feminist literary theory and spatial analysis, this study seeks to reveal how Saudi women writers from this transformative era use the urban landscape as both a site of limitation and empowerment. Through their works, these authors offer new perspectives on women’s relationships with the evolving social and spatial dynamics of urban life. The study also addresses how the portrayal of urban spaces reflects broader themes of identity, autonomy, and the ongoing negotiation of tradition and modernity in contemporary Saudi society. This study contributes to the field of contemporary Arabic literature by highlighting the role of urban spaces in shaping the experiences of women and offering new perspectives on their relationships with evolving social and spatial dynamics.
Manal Almehaidly (Wed,) studied this question.