The Structure and Plot of the Fables in Attar's Tazkerat Al Oulia

Attar, one of the most famous Persian Gnostic writers, pays specific attention to the fables in his couplet-poems (Masnavis) and his great book, Tazkerat Ol Oulia. Not paying enough attention to story-telling and fable-writing in old Persian texts has caused mystical tales and story elements to be ignored. This paper is an attempt to examine the structure and plot of the fables in Tazkerat Ol Oulia. The fables are short, presented in a straightforward diction, most of which enjoy a three-part structure. Although Attar has borrowed the fables from his predecessors, his true understanding of fable-writing has enabled him, employing slight changes, to complete the plot of the fables, leaving everlasting influential fables.