Inter-Genres in Arabic Visual Poetry and the Levels of Fusion between Linguistic Texts and Non-Linguistic Art Forms

Abstract

The Visual-Poem is considered one of the most daring experimental poetry that has penetrated the borders of traditional Arabic poetry. The visual-poem is based on integration of linguistic poetic aspects and non-linguistic visual aspects. Therefore, the visual-poem is considered a hybrid literary genre that is based on integration of several arts, which makes the reader raise questions regarding its essence and identity, and whether it is poetry or artistic drawing or painting. The objective of the study is to confirm that the visual-poem is a special trans-generic literary type, which is an independent phenomenon that cannot be classified under any other literary genre. The study also seeks to highlight the aspect of penetration of the visual-poem to everything that is traditional and definite, starting with the various names that have been given to it, and ending with its various forms that appeared in classical poetry and modern Arabic poetry. To achieve its goals, the study adopts the methodology of analytical comparisons between classical Arabic texts, modern Arabic texts and European modern texts written in English and French. The fundamental landmarks of the visual poem are the same landmarks that are specific to poetry in general. The visual poem does not marginalize the language, the poetic rhythm or music but turns its language into a drawing and makes its music something visible that stems from words that are seen scattered on a white page.  In addition, it keeps the components on which the poems are based such as: ambiguity, association, and other elements but it adopts them, not only in the language, but in everything that we see, too. The main conclusion of the study is that the visual poem is not a poetic school that has its own followers, concepts, and characteristics, but a poetic phenomenon that is too broad to be limited by a school or a specific tradition.