Imaginary Structure in Mohammed Hassan Alwan’s Novel "Mawt Sagheer" (Sagheer Death)

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the imaginary construct in Mohammed Hassan Alwan’s, Saudi novelist, "Mawt Sagheer" (Sagheer Death). Adopting a semiotic approach, the study is divided into an introduction, two sections, and a conclusion. The first section explored the symbolism of narrative discourse in the novel, bridging history and imagination. The second section examined the semiotics of symbols between Sufi and narrative discourses. The study findings revealed that the imaginary structure in  Alwan’s  novel "Mawt Sagheer" was based on the fact that many self-images in the novel were not intentional in themselves but were formulated narratively and symbolically as a means to signify other meanings and connotations. By adopting the technique of narrative imagination, the novel indicated numerous human concepts and issues that did not only concern the Ibn Arabi as a narrator but also resonated with every individual, as they symbolically represent various human (political, social, and intellectual) issues.