"The Pronominal Irony in the Poetry of Fadhl Khalaf Jabr"

Abstract

The pronominal irony in the poetry of Fadhl Khalaf Jabr stands as one of the most significant stylistic phenomena reflecting the poet’s deep awareness of transformation and human alienation. This irony manifests through the shifting use of pronouns—from the first to the second and third person—revealing the fragmentation of the self between the “I” and the “Other,” and the tension between inner vision and external reality. The pronoun “I” conveys existential anxiety and spiritual fracture, while the transition to “you” or “he” creates a paradoxical fusion of self and other, turning the pronoun into a semantic and aesthetic space that mirrors the crisis of modern identity. Thus, pronominal irony in Jabr’s poetry is not a mere linguistic variation but a structural paradox that destabilizes conventional poetic expression and redefines meaning. It serves as both an aesthetic and philosophical device to articulate inner division and existential awareness in modern Arabic poetry.