Mystical Journey in Nima Yooshij's Qale-ye Soqrim: An Analyze Based on Gerard Genette’s Theory of Narration

Narratology, as one of the old topics in literary criticism, traces back to the ideas of Plato and Aristotle. Among recent narratologists, Gerard Genette (1930-2018) has presented one of the most consistent theories in narratology. The present research tries to apply Genette’s theory in analyzing “Qale-ye Soqrim” (Soqrim Castle), a narrative poem by the Iranian poet, Nima Yooshij. By using descriptive-analytical method, first, a summary of Genette’s theory is outlined, then, the application of his theory to the analysis of the poem is presented. The purpose of the present study is to show to what extent the narrative elements have contributed to the formation of the poem as a mystical work and how far they have helped the poet to express mystical concepts. The results show that Nima Yooshij, by using appropriate narrative elements, has been able to create a work in line with the mystical works of Persian literature and to reflect mystical ideas in his poem in an effective way.