From a reader: "Some silly comments from a translation of Hanan Al-Shaykh's "A Season of
Madness."
The translation comes from the excellent and I believe widely used "Longman
Anthology of World Literature Volume F, The Twentieth Century, 2nd Edition."
"A woman baring her legs is considered a shameful act in conservative Arab
culture." (742)
"Madness is considered a scandal in Arab culture." (742)
"The mother-in-law is a commonly disliked figure in Arab culture,
especially when she is the matriarch of the larger family." (744)
As if mother-in-laws aren't mocked in Western culture. Wasn't it Juvenal
who said one cannot be happy as long as one's mother-in-law is
alive?
If you post this one I'd like to anonymous. Thanks."
