العنونة في الشعر النسوي المعاصر

Abstract

The title has become one of the most important stepping stones of the text, through which one gets into the textual world. It can be considered as the first message or relationship that we receive from that world, especially that we consider the title as a reading tool for the poetic text, and the latter as a tool to read the title itself. Hence, we can say that there is a mutual relationship between the title and text. The poetic text is made up of two different texts- the text and the title- which have the same meaning, but two different readings. The title is restricted, precise and concise; however, the text is long. In actual fact, the text of the title is condensed and invisible in terms of its meanings. Despite all its lexicographic deficiencies at the first glance, the title abides by a set of different semantic possibilities, especially that it does not take shape only through the interpretive reading. Therefore, we need a strategic method that takes into account the title’s semantic fluctuations within the text. So, in spite of the crucial role that the title plays in deciphering and teasing out the mysteries, it may usually cause some sort of misunderstanding, and thus creating a maze that pushes the reader to resort to the text. Hence, the title can be compared to a front page of a book which distinguishes it from the other ones. Besides, the title is condensed as a peripheral element of the main text added to endnotes, introductions, quotes and the iconic sings; however, it is by no means neglected since it is the first ever stage in any reading. Building on this ground, the title is deemed in contemporary feminist poetry as an important cornerstone upon which the Arab poetry is based. Therefore, the title has been carefully examined by many authors, particularly in their own contemporary poetry. All this has led to its high presentation to the interlocutor in order to make it a source of inspiration and an impetus to dig in intellectual feats; though, the author has to take into consideration the desires and wants of the audience who are in need of this raw material which requires a clever interlocutor capable of decoding its enigmas. Thus, any female author is required to go through the following artistic function in their literary products; (title of innovation + in-text innovation + innovator = innovative work). All that has led textual criticism to accord importance to the title which has become a discipline in its own right called (titrology). The Arab innovator was clearly conscious of the importance of the title and was aware of its different functions. As a result, she took care of the way it is sorted and the context in which it is conveyed to intellectuals. As such, according to the contemporary critical studies, the title is deemed as a stimulus whose power overshadows the text; consequently, the latter falls under its influence. In this way, the title becomes a link between the two ends of the message, represented in the dichotomy ‘Innovator/ recipient’. It is the beginning of delight; hence, the title stirs the wrench of writing in contemporary feminist poetry that has become an everlasting reading pain in a continuum within which the text and the writer are on equal footing. Due to all that, it is incumbent on any female innovator to take into consideration the aesthetics of titrology for the sake of making it a procedural concept in a textual approach. For this reason, the present study has dealt with three chapters, each entitled according to its research nature. Also, there are complementary sections to the research work aligned to each chapter. The First chapter: The Title and Contemporary Feminist Poetry: In the first chapter, the research work has dealt extensively with the title. Herein, both literal and conventional definitions were provided. Also, the research has thrown some light on the title within the Arab and Western heritage, and then exposed the different types of titles, namely; (real/ fake/ current/ subtitle/ specific title); afterwards, the research has identified the different categories of titles (the indexed titles/ the semantic titles that are divided into complex and simple). Furthermore, this chapter has identified the properties of the title in literature, specifying the various functions of the titles: (attracting/ determining/ accompanying implying semantic/ descriptive/ metatextual/ dedicating titles). Finally, the importance of the title, its writer and reader were determined. The Second Chapter: The second chapter was entitled “Structure of the Feminist Title in Huda Mikati’s Poetry”. In this perspective, the present study has addressed five structures: 1. The Iconic Structure: within this structure, the study has provided an entry to the parallel text and then dealt with the iconic property of the feminist titles within the poet Huda Mikati’s corpora by dint of three readings, namely, (visual reading of the cover/ visual reading of the title/ visual reading corpus title) and its role in shaping the poetic icon in the titles of contemporary feminist poetry. 2. The Phonetic Structure: under this title, the researcher has given a literary and conventional definition of phonetics and dealt with the types of sounds in terms of its places of articulation, beginning with the plosives, fricatives, nasals, lateral, approximants and affricates in the titles of contemporary feminist poetry, notably in Huda Mikati’s corpora, and then putting them on a curve with percentages followed by our commentary. 3. Morphological Structure: in here, the researcher has given a literal and conventional definition of morphology and has discussed the important role it plays especially in linguistics. Moreover, we have identified the most crucial classes of the nominal and its derivatives as well as those of the verbial within Mikati’s corpora- The Cloak of Muslin, Ears of Nile, But My Darling- and its structures. Finally, we have put the results on a curve in percentage terms with our commentary therein. 4. The Syntactic Structure: this structure has dealt with the term ‘sentence’ in Western and Arabic studies and then identified the clause constituents in Huda Mikati’s corpora, namely; The Cloak of Muslin, Ears of the Nile, But My Darling. These constituents were restricted in the four types: (nominal/ verbial/ interrogative/ adverbial). The latter were put on a curve with percentages and then followed by our commentary. 5. The Semantic Structure: this structure has delimited the term ‘semantics’ both literally and conventionally, and its context of emergence. After, the theory of semantic fields has been explored and applied on the poetic corpus, including five semantic fields which are: (psychological field, natural field, literary field, social field, political field) through the previously mentioned Mikati’s corpora Then,we have focused and commented on the percentages. The Third Chapter: This chapter is entitled “Dimensions and Aesthetics of the Feminist Title in Huda Mikati’s Poetry”, and it was divided into two main sections: Section 01: ‘Dimensions of the Feminist Title’. This section has dealt with the deduction of simple title types in Huda Mikati’s poetry, namely; (peripheral/ dedicating/ abridged), and those of complex titles therein which are: (provocative/ metapoetic/ allusive) and then restricting their results. Afterwards, it has addressed the issue of title functions: (seductive function/ specific function/ accompanying implicating semantic function/ dedicating function/ descriptive function) in order to put them as percentages followed by our commentary. Section 02: ‘Aesthetics of the Title’ In this section, the study has dealt with the phenomenon if intertextuality and its importance in the aesthetics of feminist innovative feats, particularly that of Mikati. Thus, a definition of intertextuality, both literally and conventionally, is provided. In addition to that, this section has focused on four kinds of reference in the contemporary feminist title within Mikati’s poetry, namely; (with reference to Quran/ history/ contemporary Arab poetry/ mythology). In the hope of making this section much clearer, it was supported by a histogram on which percentages were distributed, showing both Mikati’s culture and her varied sources of inspiration. Finally, the study has examined the stylistic aspect of the shift phenomenon within feminist poetry, especially in Huda Mikati’s corpora. In this respect, a definition of shift, both literally and conventionally, was given, and its types were determined (phonetic/ semantic/ synthetic) within the titles of her poetry in order to expose them as percentages on a histogram that explains and highlights their importance. As a conclusion, it is noteworthy that research in the feminist poetic title should be compared and contrasted with its male counterpart, male poetic title, which ought to be conducted in the future.