The Function of Laughter in Shahnameh in the Light of Bakhtin's Theory

This study examines the narrative approach of Shahnameh by Ferdowsi based on Bakhtin’s dialogism. The logic of dialogue, a narrative that describes the relationship between different views through dialogue and interaction and considers dialogue as the only way of communication. Dialogism is supplemented by concepts such as "polyphony", "the other voice" and "Carnival". One of the necessary constituents of carnivalistic life is laughter. In Shahnameh there are three kinds of laughter, one of which is considered closer to Bakhtin’s laughter; it is a laughter that causes ridicule and humiliation. Other types of laughter are those of joy and an analogy of nature. In this article the carnivalistic laughter and laughter in Shahnameh are compared with each other to find out the correspondence between dialogism and Shahnameh. In this study, we attempt to study the word "laughter" and its derivatives in Shahnameh using descriptive-analytic method and evaluate it on the basis of Bakhtin's theory of dialogism, and also find out its similarities and differences with Bakhtin's carnivalistic laughter.