Mystical Epic from Hypothesis to Reality

In the past half-century and especially in the past two decades the expression “mystical epic” has gained significant prevalence in the field of literary studies, and even some researchers have assumed the existence of a “mystical epic” as an independent genre in Persian literature. This study on the basis of the genre theory shows that against some similarities between some aspects of epic texts and some of examples of sufist literature, it is not possible to verify this assumption from the point of view of genre critic, because the acceptance of such genre is not matched with the intention of the sufi authors which is an important factor in determining the genre, and also it does not create any useful augury for the reader and lastly it does not offer any help for an accurate and reasonable classification of the species of Persian literature. Furthermore in explaining the extant similarities paying attention to the “mode” and the phenomenon “mixture of species” and the wonderful stability of the eastern and especially Persian forms of literature and also the interchange of the themes and concepts between various forms makes a reasonable explanation and formulation more possible.