Content Details | NUML Online Research Repository

Content Details

Back to Department Listing

Title REPRESENTATION OF THE COGNITIVE SPACE IN DISCOURSE: A COGNITIVEPOETIC STUDY OF TEXT-WORLDS IN H.M. NAQVI’S NOVEL THE SELECTED WORKS OF ABDULLAH THE COSSACK

Author(s) Uzma Siddiqua

Abstract Title Representation of the Cognitive Space in Discourse: A Cognitive-Poetic Study of Text-Worlds in H.M. Naqvi's Novel The Selected Works of Abdullah the Cossack This study analyzes the representation of cognitive space in H. M. Naqvi‘s The Selected Works of Abdullah the Cossack, investigating how language constructs mental representations of fictional worlds and characters‘ experiences. The research addresses how text-worlds develop and shift throughout the narrative and how these changes shape the reader's interpretation. Focusing on ten selected passages, the study applies a qualitative design grounded in cognitive poetics. It uses Text World Theory (TWT) and discourse analysis to examine the construction and transformation of cognitive space within the text. TWT offers a theoretical and methodological lens to explore how readers form mental models through linguistic cues, particularly world-switches, spatial and temporal boundaries, and epistemic, boulomaic, and deontic modalities. The analysis highlights that text-worlds in the novel are dynamic and layered, marked by temporal disjunctions, shifting spatial settings, and modal complexity. These features collectively engage the reader in reconstructing timelines, navigating cultural landscapes, and interpreting characters‘ internal states. The study concludes that TWT provides an effective framework for understanding cognitive engagement with literary texts. It recommends applying similar approaches to other culturally diverse literary works and exploring interdisciplinary methods—such as empirical reader-response studies—for further insight into the reading process.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2025-07-31

Subject

Publisher

Contributor(s)

Format

Identifier

Source

Relation

Coverage

Rights