Methods of Reasoning in Āzirbayjān School

Imagery helps the poet to successfully bring his mental concepts home to his readers with the help of various rhetorical techniques; therefore, there are many similarities between literary and rhetorical tropes, and the techniques used in logical reasoning. Such features can be found in different literary periods and various literary styles; however, in some historical eras, due to some specific social considerations, rhetorics took precedence over other poetic styles; school of Āzirbayjān can be cited as an example of rhetorical excellence. Great poets of this school—Khāqānī Shirvānī, Nizāmī Ganjavī, Mujīrudīn Baylaqānī, Falakī Shirvānī, Mahastī Ganjavī—made a good use of simile, metaphor, personification, allegories and allusions in order to put across their claims more effectively. This article briefly explores the theories of Stephen Toulmin about persuasive reasoning as the stylistic feature typical of Āzirbayjān School of poetry; the theories will then be elucidated with ample textual evidence taken from poems of Āzirbayjān School. Our analytic approach draws on the three principles Toulmin has put forth: making a claim, providing support and contextualization. The researcher proceeds to examine the effect of logical reasoning upon the stylistic grid of Āzirbayjān School of poetry.