Narrative Focalization and the Construction of Poetic Meaning in the Poetry of Hassan Salem Al-Dabbagh

Abstract

      This study examines the phenomenon of narrative focalization in contemporary Arabic poetry, utilizing the poetry of Hassan Salem Al-Dabbagh as a case study. Its aim is to reveal how various modes of focalization are employed to construct poetic meaning and shape artistic vision. The study is grounded in a central problematic: How does narrative focalization function in Al-Dabbagh’s poetry as an aesthetic mechanism that facilitates the poem’s transition from direct lyrical expression to a complex narrative space wherein visions and voices intertwine? Adopting a structuralist narrative methodology, the study draws upon the operational concepts of Gérard Genette, Mieke Bal, and Tomashevsky, applying them to selected examples from two of Al-Dabbagh’s poetry collections: *And the South, When It Breathes* (Wa al-Janub idhā tanaffas) and *One Like Me: The Moon Is Not Content with Its Star* (Mithlī lā yaktifī al-qamar bi-najmatih). The study concludes that Hassan Salem Al-Dabbagh’s poetry employs zero, internal, and external focalization in an interwoven manner. However, internal focalization predominates across most of the texts, thereby deepening the presence and introspection of the poetic self; conversely, external focalization is utilized to generate a critical distance, while zero focalization endows the poem with a philosophical and cosmic scope—rendering focalization a central structural element in the formation of poetic meaning.