Author:Dr. Adebisi Toyyib Abdulwahid And Dr. Mahmud Danjuma, Musa
Date: 20/02/2026
This study explores the Stylistic Shift between narration and description in Arabic-translated novels, with a special focus on Al-Mughamarah (The Adventure) by Dr. O. Fagunwa, one of Nigeria’s foremost Yoruba literary figures. The research investigates how translation mediates the transition from narrative to descriptive modes and the resulting impact on the aesthetic and semantic structure of the text. It also examines how such stylistic transformation influences the Arabic reader’s reception of the translated work, highlighting the translator’s role in preserving the original’s stylistic and cultural essence. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, focusing on the third chapter of the novel as a representative example of stylistic shifts. Findings reveal that stylistic transformation in literary translation reflects the translator’s cultural and aesthetic orientation, and that maintaining balance between narration and description remains one of the main challenges in translating African literature into Arabic.
Keywords: stylistic shift, narration, description, literary translation, Fagunwa, Nigerian literature.
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