A Critique of Critiques in Iranian and Syrian Fiction A Study in Comparative Literature

Examination of the similarities and differencesbetween Persian and Arabic literature and the impact of these two on each other has been the subject of numerous researches in comparative literature. Since in recent decades the connection between Persian and Arabic literature has weakened considerably, it seems that focusing on the cultural similarities between them on the one hand, and the impact of the west as the origin of modern literary criticism upon them on the other hand, paves the wayfor the investigation of practical critiques in different fields; this can fill the gap that has appeared due to the lack of direct connection between Persian and Arabic literature. The differences in the viewpoints of Persian and Arabic literature as well as their different interpretations of western theories and the reflection of these interpretations in the works of Iranian and Arabic writers can affect the type of critical inquiry in these two fields. The present study examines a number of practical critiques of Arabic fiction (especially short story, as a branch of the vast field of Arabic literature)written in Iran and Syria,in order to identify the similarities and differences in the attitudes of the critics in both fields. Moreover, it explores the degree of their success in investigating short story and its development in Iran and Syria.