The literary representation of gender and class has remained one of the most significant concerns in twentieth-century fiction, reflecting broader historical transformations associated with modernization, capitalism, colonialism, and cultural reform. Among the writers who profoundly explored these issues are F. Scott Fitzgerald and Naguib Mahfouz, whose novels portray societies undergoing rapid social change while simultaneously exposing persistent inequalities. Although Fitzgerald examines the contradictions of the American Dream through class mobility and female emancipation, Mahfouz investigates similar concerns within the socio-cultural realities of Egyptian society, emphasizing the interaction between tradition, religion, and modernity. This study comparatively examines the reconstruction of the "New Woman" and lower-class identity in selected works by Fitzgerald and Mahfouz, primarily The Great Gatsby and Midaq Alley. Drawing upon comparative literary analysis, feminist narratology, narratology, and socio-cultural criticism, the research investigates how narrative structure, focalization, characterization, and symbolic representation shape the relationship between gender and class. The study further evaluates how economic inequality influences female agency while demonstrating that social mobility often remains constrained despite aspirations for independence. Comparative findings reveal that although both authors operate within distinct cultural frameworks, they critique hierarchical social systems that marginalize women and economically disadvantaged communities. The research contributes to comparative literary studies by integrating feminist theoretical perspectives with class analysis, illustrating that the New Woman cannot be understood independently of economic conditions and social identity. The article further argues that literature serves as an interpretative medium through which competing notions of modernity, gender equality, and class consciousness are negotiated across diverse cultural contexts.
Reconstructing the New Woman and Lower-Class Identity: A Comparative Study of Fitzgerald And Mahfouz
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