The Textual Criticism of the Storyology of King Jamshid

One of the popular Persian folk tales in the Qajar era is Malek Jamshid, Asef Spell and Crystal Bath, which is the last remaining Persian mythological tradition by Naqib al-Malak. It is one of the rare folk tales that the author has. The author of this book and Amir Arsalan are the same, but Malek Jamshid has been less known due to Amir Arsalan's fame. The difference between these two books is due to the audiences; Malik Jamshid's audience is general but that of Amir Arsalan is specific. This study aims to familiarize the literary people with this less known story, its literary and social dimensions, and textology of it. Therefore, while introducing the story and its narrator, Mohammad Ali Shirazi, known as Naqib al-Mamalik, and introducing the manuscripts editions and making a report of the story, we try to deal with this work from three perspectives: first, linguistic and literary aspects; second, the narrative aspects and themes of the story, and third, the social aspects. Examining the literary and social dimensions of the story, in addition to revealing some aspects of life in the Qajar era, manifests the thoughts and ideas of people of that era and their tastes and entertainments. The purpose of this article is, thus, to introduce one of the Iranians’ fictional legacies in an era very close to the constitution and literary developments.