L’image de l’Egypte à travers «Cinq mois au Caire et dans la Basse Égypte» de Gabriel Charmes

The image of Egypt through «Five months in Cairo and in Lower Egypt»
by Gabriel Charmes

ABSTRACT: In this research, we dealt with the image of Egypt in the nineteenth century, through the novel (Five Months in Cairo and Lower Egypt) by the French writer and traveler Gabriel Charmes. This historical novel reflects the writer's viewpoint about Egypt and reconstructs our collective conception of the East in this era. It allows us to know more about Egyptian social life and recognize the events of the past at that time. It offers us a real critique of social life in Egypt. It clarifies the social differences between the different classes of the people, emphasizing the idea of the absence of social justice in Egypt, inequality between members of society and the deterioration of values at that time. The writer has drawn for us real situations and events about Egypt, but they are introduced with severe criticism of the Egyptian society at that time. He described a lot of Egyptian attitudes and behaviors and gave us a picture of the customs and traditions of Egyptian society. He also presented for us the image of the Egyptian countryside as an agricultural and economic space, and emphasized the idea of the great historian Herodotus that "Egypt is a gift from the Nile." Where he sees that Egypt is an agricultural country par excellence. In many cases, the writer painted for us a deceptive, unreal and inexpressive picture of Egypt and the simplicity and kindness of Egyptians. He presents a depressing picture of Egypt because he did not find it as was in his mind and imagination. He found in Egypt nothing but poverty, peasants, ignorance, darkness, silence, desolation, coffins, death and funeral processions. The sights of ruined walls and vast tombs, to him, suggest the general misery that pervaded throughout the country. Despite all the contradictions that Charmes gave us about this great country, Egypt has always been a fantastic and picturesque place that differs from all other countries around the world.