A Function-Oriented Study of Sub-Worlds in the Poetry of Wadih Sa'adeh Based on Paul Werth’s Theory: A Case Study of “Muhawalat Wasl Diffatayni Bi-sawt” (Attempt to Connect Two Shores with Sound)

Sattari, Elaheh; Shamsabadi, Hosein

doi:10.22059/jalit.2023.362390.612703

A Function-Oriented Study of Sub-Worlds in the Poetry of Wadih Sa'adeh Based on Paul Werth’s Theory: A Case Study of “Muhawalat Wasl Diffatayni Bi-sawt” (Attempt to Connect Two Shores with Sound)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

elaheh sattari ¹

hosein shamsabadi ²

¹ .Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Hakim sabzevari university ,sabzevar , Iran.

² Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Hakim sabzevari University, sabzevar ,Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22059/jalit.2023.362390.612703

Abstract

In order to gain a more accurate understanding of the meanings and messages in a text, it is not enough to just focus and rely on its main world. Indeed, it is also necessary to examine its sub-worlds. Following advances in cognitive approaches in literary criticism, terms such as hypothetical worlds, possible worlds, secondary worlds, sub-worlds etc. were taken into consideration to examine literary texts through a more comprehensive and modern lens. Among such theories is Paul Werth's Text World Theory. In his theory of world discourse, he addresses three categories for text analysis, among which is the sub-worlds' approach. Through this approach, certain parameters are used to examine the existence of another world that exists in the context of a main world, and thus its meanings and functions are investigated. Considering the pluralism of discourse and the variety of semantic contexts in post-modern poetry, this paper examines and analyzes the poetry book of Wadih Sa'adeh, a prominent Lebanese poet, to find out to what extent sub-words exist in his poetry and how the poet has used them to expand on and promote his meanings. The result of the research shows that by creating sub-worlds along the the one-dimensional and static world, Wadih Sa'adeh has added dynamism, reflected silent voices or voices in exile, departed from the absolute reality and approached multiple and diverse realities. Moreover, he has used different parameters of time, place, speech, and attitude.

Keywords

Contemporary Arabic Poetry

Cognitive Poetics

Sub-worlds

Paul Werth

Wadih Sa'adeh

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