الخطاب الساخر في القصة الجزائرية المعاصرة: مقاربة نقدية اجتماعية في قصص عيسى شريط

Abstract

This study examines satirical discourse in contemporary Algerian short fiction, with the stories of AissaChrit as a case study. It investigates satire as both an artistic and critical mechanism capable of revealing the contradictions of Algerian social reality. The research starts from a central question concerning the ways in which satirical discourse appears in AissaChrit’s stories, and the narrative and linguistic techniques through which the writer transforms satire into a tool for exposing social, administrative, and political dysfunctions. To address this issue, the study adopts the descriptive analytical method, supported by a socio-critical approach, in order to connect the selected short stories to their social background while preserving their artistic and aesthetic specificity. The study shows that satire in AissaChrit’s stories is not based on superficial humor, but on irony, sarcasm, symbolism, and everyday language. Simple narrative elements such as “the queue,” “the employee,” and “the hat” become meaningful signs of waiting, bureaucracy, and symbolic power. The study concludes that satirical discourse in AissaChrit’s short fiction functions as a deep form of social criticism, exposing the problematic relationship between the individual and the institution, and demonstrating the ability of contemporary Algerian short fiction to question reality through condensed and effective artistic tools.