New Historicism and the Rejection of the Grand Narratives in the Poetry of Adonis: A Critical Study in the “Concerto Al-Quds’’ as a Model

We have chosen from the broad manifestations of postmodernity in Adonis' poetry, his violation of the grand narratives, because it is the central axis in the emergence of relativism in postmodern philosophy, which Adonis has emphasized in the Concerto Al-Quds collection. We have found that the image of "Al-Quds" is surrounded by many questions and doubts about its historical facts and the grand narratives that it carries in the consciousness of Muslims in general. What we intended by this paper was to examine the impact of postmodernism, as a Western thought, on the addressed poet leading to re-create the meaning of Al-Quds, as it was not just a place in a geographical spot, but rather a symbol of religion and a place of truth in which blood sheds in and for its sake. Accordingly, we found the poet's emphasis on the movement of history, perfectly suited to his position on the truth, and the evidence of its proportionality and its perpetual movement, as well as his deep call to reject the "fixed meaning" in favor of "convert". This is what his poetry coverts in its own networks, as it carries decency through its belief in relativism. The denial of the grand narratives is of particular significance in postmodernity, in which Adonis minimized traditional ideas and beliefs about the truth and the meaning. This results in the role of a questioner about the truth that revolves around it. Thus, in its general sense, the truth becomes completely relative. One of the most important of these comprehensive narratives is the "history" that Adonis skillfully undermines it in the Concerto Al-Quds. He calls to reconsider the history and to question the extent of its merits. Through this limitation of history, Adonis argues that "Al- Quds" is only a "linguistic" image painted by many religions and their authority over cultures and vessels. It is only a picture that slides on the land of the mind without ceasing a final stop at a specific station of meaning. This is what has been studied in this article, in the framework of the methodology of criticism of new historicism, which is one of the most critical frameworks of postmodernism.