A Review of the History of the Body in Literature by Seyyed Mehdi Zarqani

The History of the Body in Literature, by Seyyed Mehdi Zarghani et al. (1398), deals with the development of different types of the concept of the body and their classification in the history of Persian literature. The book examines the concept of body in the works of poets, mystics, and artists. The approach of the book towards its subject matter is novel, and it is this novelty that may explain the lack of detailed and structured research background. By critically focusing on the positive and negative aspects of the book’s novel approach towards the concept of the body, the present article sets to propose some revisions regarding some of book’s critical beliefs regarding the body. Some of the shortcomings of the book’s critical views towards the body can be listed as follows: Methodological, theoretical and bibliographical shortcomings and inconsistencies due to the book’s tendency to treat some issues one-sidedly, thematic contradictions due to the book’s incoherent and fragmentary treatment of the body, and the book’s inclination towards reductionism.