Abstract

Statement of the Problem and Objective: When a textual world is formed and expanded, countless other worlds may emerge based on the original text, which occupy what Paul Werth describes as the third layer of text world. Werth refers to this type of world as a “sub-inclusive world,” whereas Joanna Gavins refers to them as “possible world” in order to avoid the misconception of such worlds being secondary. A “possible world” denotes transitioning from one world to another, resulting in the creation of a new world either through changes in focus or aspects within the text. Cognitive approaches, particularly the Text World Theory and more specifically its sub-world model, facilitate the production of multiple meanings and interpretations, allowing for several interpretations of a text, which is a characteristic feature of reading contemporary literary texts. This framework focuses on worlds that can be spatially observed and assessed, while assigning the reader in role in interpreting the text through the implications and coded signs. In other words, the concept of sub-worlds, as a component of Text World Theory, also intersects with reader-centered theories, emphasizing the reader's perception and interpretation of the text. Thus, this approach seeks to establish a communicative bridge between the textual domain and the social context. This bridge indicates the use of signs that encourage the reader to discover the links between these signs and social conditions. In fact, literary works may possess the potential for critical discourse analysis, or readers themselves may reveal these subtextual and marginal, yet significant elements.
Methodology: Using a descriptive-analytical method, this study applies Paul Werth's theory of sub-worlds, which distinguishes between the referential, attitudinal, and epistemological worlds and examines the manifestations of these sub-worlds in the outstanding novel Al-Nahiyat by Abd al-Rahman Munif. Furthermore this study discusses and examines the manner, form, motivations, and functions of their application within the text.
Discussion and Analysis: This study aims to discuss and examine the application of sub-worlds theory in Al-Nahiyat, one of the most prominent novels of the renowed Saudi author, Abd al-Rahman Munif. The analysis of sub-worlds serves as a tool for meaning production and for establishing an environmental discourse within the novel. Moreover, the study examines the various dimensions of sub-worlds and their role in shaping the textual reality. This novel presents a tragedic narrative centered on rural life in a village called Tayeba, where survival depends on rainfall and the lack of rain brings the threat of famine. Eventually , after realizing the emptiness of the promises made by the government the construction of a dam, the villagers decide to build a dam in the area by themselves in order to escape drought.The author rarely uses direct quotations as a device for creating referential sub-worlds; however, the few instances used are impactful and fit well into the story's context. The flashbacks and flash-forwards in the novel are tied to the environmental and thematic framework of the story. Combined with nostalgia, these temporal shifts remind Tayeba of the happy days of the past and cultivates the hopes for a fertile future.The desire-driven worldview in the novel is closely connected to realism. Munif represents these desires and aspirations in the narrative through everyday concerns pertaining to Tayeba's natural environment. The belief-based worldview is also expressed in a restrained and realistic manner, avoiding abstract ideologies, and instead grounding belief systems in material elements in an extratextual manner. The goal-oriented worldview is similarly expressed within the confines of realism to communicate ordinary goals. The author integrates these objectives into the narrative to complete the minor events that contribute to the plot and to clarify the motivations behind characters’ actions.
Findings: The findings reveal that Munif employs the sub‑worlds in the narrative as a means to embody idealized conceptions that transcend the harsh yet sublime dimension of nature, and to convey certain ecological and humanistic ideas. The probabilistic propositions emerging from these subordinate textual worlds constitute only a limited portion of the epistemological structure of the novel Al‑Nihayat. The narrative unfolds through a precise, coherent, and realistic framework; therefore, propositions marked by uncertainty rarely appear within the story. When such propositions do occur, they mostly relate to minor narrative incidents that remain unresolved and with no definitive conclusion. In contrast, the overarching presence of truth‑bearing and determined worlds in the novel—combined with the author’s focus deeply rooted concerns such as hunger, its social repercussions, the role of rain in fertility, and environmental anxieties—results in a higher frequency of definitive propositions. This pattern further reveals that the author intentionally gravitates toward constructing a dominant, low‑ambiguity semantic world, using the sub‑worlds primarily to reinforce ethical and ideological meanings rather than to produce narrative indeterminacy.