The Narrative of Belonging: A Metafictional Approach to Young Adult Literature (Arwa Dawood Khamees’s Duology as a Model)

Abstract

This study examines how inherited values in classical tales, which have entrenched stereotypes in young readers’ consciousness, are critically interrogated. It traces the metanarrative mechanisms operating in the text and analyzes their role in dismantling and reconstructing such images. The corpus consists of Arwa Dawood Khamees’s duology, A Tea Party at Cinderella’s Palace (2015) and A Cup of Coffee on Treasure Island (2019). Adopting a narratological approach, the study uses metanarrative analysis to examine character models and the movement from dependence on external image toward choice and self-awareness. The findings show that the first part questions image, beauty, and the myth of the savior, whereas the second explores the role of experience and knowledge in shaping the self and recovering identity. The study concludes that metanarrative discourse activates characters and engages young readers in meaning-making through active questioning.