The Semiotics of Graphic Space in the Poetry of Muhammad al-Fayturi

Abstract

This study examines the semiotics of graphic space in the poetry of Muhammad al-Fayturi as a significant component that participates in the production of meaning. It proceeds from the assumption that graphic space in modern poetry is no longer merely a formal element, but has become an active semiotic sign. The study focuses on the binary opposition of whiteness and blackness as two of the most prominent elements of visual formation within the poetic text. It also investigates the functions of punctuation marks as visual and acoustic signs that contribute to directing the reading process and intensifying meaning. The analysis reveals that al-Fayturi employs these textual thresholds consciously in ways that transcend their conventional grammatical and orthographic functions. Whiteness in his poetry performs the functions of silence, suggestion, and the productive void of meaning, whereas blackness constitutes a dense linguistic presence. Punctuation marks, meanwhile, operate through mechanisms of pause and enclosure to embody tension, emotion, and inner dialogue within the text. The study further demonstrates that all these elements contribute to the construction of an open interpretive horizon in which the reader actively participates in the production of meaning. Accordingly, al-Fayturi’s poetry offers a remarkable example of how textual thresholds are transformed into an influential aesthetic and semiotic force.