Different Meanings of Humor in Contemporary Persian Literature and Their Illustrative Relevance

The word ‘humor’ in Persian literature has different meanings. In the contemporary period, it is used as a ‘literary term’ with a difference in definition compared to the joke. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the meanings of humor in specialized sources, cultures, and related books in contemporary literature in order to find a rather comprehensive definition. The two research questions posed in the study are: what meaning or meanings are meant by the term humor? Is it possible to consider a clear and unique definition of humor in contemporary Persian literature and what text is an example of humor? The findings of this research show that the different meanings found by ‘humor’ are related and overlapping making it very difficult to find a clear definition for the term ‘humor’ or a single use for it.