Folk and Folklore in Rumi's Masnavi

Zarrinkoob (2007, p. 213) refers to Rumi's extraordinary fondness of folk life and his connection with different classes of the public, introducing Masnavi as a rich source of folk culture. Sajjadi (1974, p. 113) states that "the most interesting and subtle work of Rumi in Masnavi is to bring its language closer to those of the people, to speak the language of the Persian people enriched with proverbs, sayings and slang words of the common people, and to point out their behaviors and customs." The approach of the works towards Masnavi is rooted in the popular culture and literature of the contemporary era and none of the studies answers the fundamental question of this research as to who or what Rumi means by the term folk, and whether Rumi considers certain people or a specific attitude as folklore.