This study aims to analyze selected novels by Sinan Antoon to identify the dominant passions within them, and to examine how these passions and emotions operate and manifest in the narrative discourse, as well as how these passions are formed. This will be done by applying the procedural tools of the semiotics of passions, supported by a theoretical introduction to the roots of semiotics and the emergence of the semiotics of passions from the broader semiotics of action.

The study relies on the general semiotic approach, particularly the procedural tools of the semiotics of passions, to uncover the underlying mysteries in the text and clarify its meanings. This involves addressing semiotic concepts and assessing their effectiveness in analyzing the selected texts. Additionally, the study employs a psychological approach to analyze the behaviors of the characters. This will be achieved by closely examining the narrative texts and deconstructing their elements and ideas in order to analyze the characters and their passions, trace the impact of these passions on the discourse, and describe them.

The study reached several conclusions, demonstrating how the procedural tools of the semiotics of passions successfully revealed the manifestations of passions in the novels and how these passions influenced the understanding of the literary text and the uncovering of its depths. The study found that the novel Wahdaha Shajarat al-Rumman (“Alone is the Pomegranate Tree”) is dominated by two main passions: death and hope, while the novel Ya Maryam (“Oh Maryam”) is dominated by two others: resentment and hope. Through the procedural tools, the study showed the predominance of some passions over others and the contradictory states experienced by the passion-driven selves as a result.

Keywords: Semiotics, Passions, Death, Hope, Love, Resentment