Semiotics of Textual Thresholds in the Short Story Collection “Ro…manssyat Sharqyyah” by Hafsa Mujalli

Abstract

This research explores the semiotic role of textual thresholds in Hafsa Mujalli’s short story collection Ro…manssyat Sharqyyah (Forgotten Oriental Romances), treating the external title and cover image as interpretive gateways between the text and its cultural context. It addresses the central question of how these thresholds guide the meanings of internal titles and narratives, assuming that they function as a semiotic system shaping reception and reflecting a critical discourse on the symbolic and moral exclusion of Eastern women. Drawing on Saussure’s and Peirce’s theories of signs, Genette’s concept of textual thresholds, and Barthes’s image semiotics, the study analyzes the interplay between external and internal structures to uncover deeper layers of narrative meaning. The findings highlight that the collection’s title transcends mere naming, generating an open and suggestive semantic field whose ambiguity and interaction with the cover art influence the interpretation of internal titles and texts. Ultimately, the study shows that the tension between external and internal thresholds expands meaning, complicates the interpretive process, and re-presents the image of the Eastern woman through interwoven metaphorical and semiotic structures.