With the emergence of feminist movements, modern literary criticism has witnessed the development of an independent branch known as feminist criticism, which emphasizes the distinction between feminine and masculine language. Among the various approaches within feminist criticism, Elaine Showalter’s theory, through the framework of gynocriticism, examines women’s literary traditions, the stages of their development, and the four principal dimensions of feminine language: the biological, linguistic, cultural, and psychological.
Using a descriptive-analytical approach, the present study seeks to answer the question of the extent to which Zahra Abdullah’s novel At the Table of ISIS, written by the Syrian novelist, employs the dimensions of feminine language as conceptualized in Showalter’s theory, and to determine the stage of feminine writing to which the novel belongs.
The findings indicate that the novel exhibits feminine characteristics across all four dimensions. At the biological level, it emphasizes issues such as pregnancy, abortion, menstruation, virginity, and women’s anxious relationship with their own bodies. At the linguistic level, it is characterized by careful attention to detail, repetition, the extensive use of color imagery, feminine lexical choices (such as references to sanitary products), and short, concise sentences. At the cultural level, it portrays the beliefs, rituals (including prayers to Tawus Malak), and customs of Yazidi women. At the psychological level, it depicts anxiety, feelings of shame and regret, the search for refuge in memories of the beloved, and meticulous observation of the surrounding world.
Keywords: Feminine language; Elaine Showalter; At the Table of ISIS; Zahra Abdullah; ISIS; Yazidi women.
 
Extended Summary
 

Introduction

With the expansion of diverse intellectual movements, contemporary literary criticism has witnessed the emergence of a variety of critical approaches, among which feminist criticism has become one of the most influential. Following the rise of movements advocating women's rights, this critical tradition emphasized the autonomy of feminist criticism and its distinction from male-centered literary criticism. Among the leading theorists in this field, Elaine Showalter, through her theory of gynocriticism, developed one of the most coherent and comprehensive frameworks for the study of women's literature. According to this theory, rather than examining women in literature through a male perspective, scholars should focus on women's own literary traditions, the stages of their development, and the distinctive characteristics of their writing.
To distinguish feminine from masculine language, Showalter identifies four principal dimensions: the biological dimension, which relates to the female body and its physical characteristics; the linguistic dimension, which concerns vocabulary, syntax, and style; the cultural dimension, which encompasses women's customs, beliefs, and social roles; and the psychological dimension, which addresses feminine emotions, anxieties, and inner experiences.
The significance of the present study can be explained from two perspectives. First, examining women's literary works through a feminist framework contributes to the intellectual independence of feminist criticism. Second, the study of women's literature in Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and Syria is particularly important because of the numerous social and political challenges faced by women. Zahra Abdullah's novel At the Table of ISIS, which portrays the atrocities committed by ISIS against Yazidi women, provides an appropriate context for such an analysis.
Accordingly, this study seeks to answer two principal research questions:

What feminine linguistic components are represented in the novel At the Table of ISIS?
To which stage of feminine writing does this novel belong according to Elaine Showalter's theory?


Research Methods and Objectives

The objectives of this study are twofold: (1) to identify and analyze the components of feminine language in At the Table of ISIS based on Elaine Showalter's theoretical framework; and (2) to determine the extent to which the novel demonstrates independence from the influence of male-authored literature and to identify the stage of feminine writing to which it belongs, namely the stage of imitation, the stage of protest, or the stage of self-awareness and independence.
The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach. The data were collected and analyzed through qualitative content analysis of the novel in accordance with Showalter's four dimensions of feminine language.
The review of previous research consists of three major studies. The first examined ISIS's treatment of women from a sociological perspective. The second analyzed violence through the theoretical framework of Žižek. The third investigated characterization based on Foucault's approach. To date, no study has examined the feminine language of this novel through the lens of Showalter's theory. Consequently, the present research is considered innovative in terms of both its subject matter and its theoretical framework.
The study population consists of the complete text of the novel At the Table of ISIS (Dar Al-Adab Publishing, Beirut, 2017). The units of analysis include sentences, phrases, and paragraphs containing manifestations of feminine language.

Research Findings and Discussion

The findings of the study are presented across four dimensions.
3.1. Biological Dimension
The novel places considerable emphasis on women's biological experiences. Terms such as arham (wombs), hamel (pregnant), nazif (bleeding), adhra' (virgin), and ijhad (abortion) recur throughout the narrative. The protagonist, Yova, maintains an anxious and emotionally charged relationship with her own body, expressing this through statements such as, "I dare not touch my body" and "my oppressed corpse." Furthermore, the interrogation scene, in which young women are questioned about their most recent menstruation and sexual experience, demonstrates a particular emphasis on female biological experience. Although these issues are addressed with relative caution because of the cultural norms of Eastern societies, they clearly reflect the feminine dimension of the narrative.
3.2. Linguistic Dimension
The novel exhibits distinctive linguistic characteristics that differentiate it from works typically associated with male authorship. First, it demonstrates meticulous attention to detail in describing scenes, including the faces and clothing of ISIS members, gardens, and prison cells. Second, it makes extensive use of color imagery, particularly white, blue, black, and multicolored objects. Through the protagonist, the author explicitly declares: "I am a woman who loves colors; colors are life." Third, the narrative incorporates feminine lexical items, including shampoo, women's razors, sanitary pads, and colorful dresses. Fourth, it frequently repeats words such as battaniyah (blanket) and al-Intidhar (waiting). Finally, the prevalence of short sentences and frequent interrogative structures reflects the vulnerable social position of women.
 
 
3.3. Cultural Dimension
The novel effectively portrays the customs, beliefs, and cultural roles of Yazidi women. These include women's attachment to jewelry—such as gold, earrings, and necklaces—which ISIS confiscates; nostalgia for domestic activities such as preparing dinner and making coffee; praying to and placing their trust in Tawus Malak during times of crisis; and rejecting the label sabaya (captive women), which reflects ISIS's instrumental and patriarchal perception of women. The author also criticizes ISIS's practice of selecting attractive women as commodities while discarding the others.
3.4. Psychological Dimension
The novel vividly portrays the hidden psychological world of captive women. During moments of fear, Yova seeks refuge in memories of her beloved, Sirwan. Regret over missing opportunities to escape, feelings of shame and modesty associated with being naked before unfamiliar men, a profound sense of spiritual suffocation, careful observation of surrounding events, and the fear that the door might suddenly open while she is unclothed all constitute psychological indicators of feminine experience within the novel.