The Rhetoric of Metapoetry and Mechanisms of Self-Criticism in Ghazi Al-Gosaibi’s Poetry Collection Garden of Sunset

This study investigates the rhetoric of metapoetry and mechanisms of self-criticism in Ghazi Al-Gosaibi’s poetry collection Garden of Sunset, focusing on instances where poetry becomes an object of reflection and critical examination. Employing rhetorical analysis informed by modern theories of metapoetry and classical Arabic rhetorical devices, the study applies a functional criterion to identify metapoetic passages in seven of the collection’s eleven poems. The analysis explores three interconnected dimensions: the limitations of poetic expression, the questioning of inherited poetic conventions, and the relationship between poetic identity and literary legacy. The findings reveal that the poet’s awareness of poetry’s limitations develops from questioning and self-evaluation to acknowledging its inadequacy before death. His reconsideration of conventional poetic practices, including elegiac mourning, addressing the moon, and invoking abandoned campsites, challenges their expressive value, while poetic engagement with Al-Mutanabbi becomes an act of homage rather than rivalry. Furthermore, poetry emerges as an alternative autobiography through which the poet seeks to preserve his identity beyond death. The study concludes that metapoetic awareness becomes particularly pronounced in elegiac contexts, where Al-Gosaibi simultaneously occupies the positions of creative poet and critic of his own work.