Title as Paratext in Persian Poetry and Prose from the 5th to the 9th Century AH

Paratextuality is a fundamental concept in the process of discovering the significations of literary texts, which, according to Gerard Genette, includes signs that guide the reader to the contents of the literary text. Among all types of paratext, titles as the most prominent one in terms of extensivity and variation of function, have a high potential for analysis based on Genette’s theories. This paper has analyzed the titles of the most famous classical works in Persian literature from the 5th to the 15th century AH, classifying their titles in five categories: genre, character, author, technique and direct titles. In this categorization, technical titles are subdivided into two types: rhyming and metaphorical. The metaphorical sub-category has also two kinds: discursive and extra discursive. In general, metaphorical titles are more complex and thus make more compact semantic signification in comparison with the rhyming type. In a stylistic perspective, the titles of the first period are simple and short, whereas in the periods that follow, we find more complex and difficult titles. Moreover, due to the literary capabilities of authors, generic evolutions and contents of the literary texts, other titles emerge which extend vertically, not horizontally, and induce semantic implications. Generic displacement and appearance and disappearance of various genres are another property which can be perceived from the titles. The present study shows that in comparison with elements relating to character and place, the element of time has a far less influence in the process of choosing a title. Moving toward atomistic views instead of holisticism, pursuing a kind of conflict between myth and history, absence of the individuality of the author as an active identity, and removing history from the titles of literary works are among the other issues derived from the analysis of the titles of classical Persian literary works.