Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah in the Saudi Novel: A Cultural Semiotic Approach to the Thresholds of the Cover and Title

Abstract

This study investigates the representation of Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah in the Saudi novel through a cultural semiotic analysis of textual thresholds, particularly covers and titles. Drawing on a sample of eleven Saudi novels in which the city occupies a central narrative position, the research explores how verbal and visual signs contribute to constructing the cultural and symbolic image of the city. The study is organized into a theoretical preface on textual thresholds, followed by three analytical sections devoted to the semiotics of cover design, main titles, and internal titles. The findings reveal that novel covers employ cultural icons and visual symbolism to establish a meaningful connection between the city’s identity and the narrative world. Main titles emerge as especially significant in expressing the cultural specificity of urban space, either through direct spatial reference or through indirect techniques such as omission and the juxtaposition of contrasting elements. Internal titles further reinforce the semantic structure through which the city is represented within the text. The study concludes that textual thresholds function as essential semiotic devices that shape readers’ perceptions of Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah and deepen the interaction between narrative discourse, cultural memory, and spatial identity in contemporary Saudi fiction.