The Semantic and Phenomenological Function of Myth in Contemporary Arabic Poetry: A Discourse-Semiotic Approach

Abstract

The paper deals with an analysis of the semantic role of mythology in contemporary Arabic poetic texts in terms of their discursive nature, semiotics, and phenomenology. Despite being a subject of interest of literary criticism from the angle of narratives and culture, the semantic role of mythology in contemporary Arabic poetry in terms of being a discursive, semiotic and experiential device requires further investigation. In order to carry out the study, qualitative research methodology was adopted. In particular, Critical Discourse Analysis was combined with semiotics and stylistics to analyze selected poems of renowned contemporary Arab poets distinguishing the cases of aesthetic incorporation of myths from the decorative use of mythology in poetry. Accordingly, the results of the study suggest that the use of myths allows contemporary Arabic poets to create deeper and more complicated meanings in their poetry, and rebuild cultural memory by means of symbols and intertextuality. Most importantly, the study has found that the effectiveness of mythology as a literary device strongly depends on its degree of incorporation into poetic discourse: while the former is effective when it is completely incorporated into poetry, the latter fails to have a profound effect on its semantics and ideological message. In addition to that, the current study adopts the philosophical approach known as phenomenology, whereby mythology is considered not only in terms of language and semiotics but also as an existential poetic experience through which the poet experiences and recreates reality. On the basis of this approach, myth is a poetic consciousness that allows the portrayal of human experience within the world. The main advantage of the current study is the multidisciplinary research, which combines such areas as literature, applied linguistics, discourse analysis, and phenomenology, as well as the study of poetic discourse as a means for transferring myths.