Semiotics of Light in the Poetry Collection (The Light Between Her) by Poetess Maryam Qawsh: A Reading in the Signification of Textual Thresholds

Abstract

This research explores the semiotics of light in the poetry collection "The Light Between Her" by Maryam Qawsh through an analytical study of the paratexts, aiming to uncover the underlying meanings and their role in shaping the overall significance, focusing on the symbolism of light from the title to the vocabulary. The study employs a semiotic approach combined with a descriptive-analytical method. It is divided into two sections: the first examines the external paratexts, beginning with the title, the cover, the dedication, and the opening poem, and the second addresses the internal paratexts through the subtitles and the openings of the poem.

The research concludes a set of results, including: the textual thresholds are not formal elements, but they represent essential components of the poetic structure, serving as textual markers that frame and distinguish the poetic experience. In addition, the diversity of paratexts in the collection between external and internal paratexts. Furthermore, the title of collection reflects the dominance of light in the poet’s thought through several levels, including the  word, structure, and image. The syntactic structure of the titles also varies between nominal sentences, genitive constructions, and semi-sentences, enriching the meanings and deepening the interpretations, thus broadening the scope for further analysis.