Character Presence in the Context of Textual Interrelation: A Study of the Novel A Mask the Color of the Sky.

Abstract

This article examines the character's presence in the novel *A Mask the Color of the Sky* from the perspective of textual interrelation, as an artistic and cognitive mechanism that highlights the nature of the interaction between the narrative text and a set of preceding or parallel texts. The research seeks to reveal how the author employs characters as carriers of intertwined cultural, historical, and literary discourses, transforming the character from a traditional narrative element into an open space for the exchange of meanings and connotations with other texts. The research adopts an analytical approach based on the concept of textual interrelation as presented by Western criticism and expanded by contemporary Arab criticism, focusing on its manifestations at the levels of narrative discourse. The study reveals that the character's presence in the novel transcends its narrative function, becoming a semantic mediator that reproduces meaning through reference to multiple characters, ideas, and texts, giving the novel a rich cultural and interpretive depth. The study concludes that the textual connection with the character in A Mask the Color of the Sky is not merely a creative device, but rather a semantic construct that contributes to the formation of an intellectual and aesthetic vision of the world, and confirms the writer's awareness of the relationship between texts in shaping contemporary narrative discourse.