The Title Threshold in the Poetry of Zainal Al-Sufi: A Semiotic Approach

Abstract

The concept of textual thresholds is one of the principal notions within semiotic literary criticism since its establishment. Perhaps the theoretical contributions of Gérard Genette, who is considered one of the earliest theorists of this concept, are the most influential, as he situated it within the broader framework of “paratextuality.” The textual threshold refers to the textual components that precede or frame the main text, functioning as stimulants that urge the reader toward its interpretation.

Interrogating the concept of the textual threshold, therefore, necessitates a comprehensive analysis of the structures of the text—not as marginal or peripheral elements, but as productive spaces of meaning, embodying a dual pragmatic act in which the sign and interpretation operate synergistically. Among the various manifestations of the textual threshold, the title stands as its most prominent form. It functions as a condensed semiotic signal that either reveals the thematic core of the poem or creates a deliberate semantic dissonance through deviation and displacement.

Hence, the title cannot be regarded as a secondary or subsequent element; rather, it represents a central semantic axis that performs multiple functions—naming and interpretation, condensation and fragmentation—all of which assist the reader in deciphering the text through the mobilization of its interpretive system.