Narratology of Signs in Nima's Afsaneh

Semiology is a new science and its history returns to several decades ago. This science has a great capacity for reading and criticism of literary works. If this science approaches to literary analysis and critism, it will provide a great deal of precise scientific possibilities for the critics. Semiology classifies signs and codes into distinguished frameworks and this classification is the raw material for structural criticism of literary works. Although Nima Youshij’s “Afsaneh” is not the first non-traditional Iranian poem and has a long way to its original structure, but because of some innovations (especially in content), it can be considered as the first Persian Free Verse. Indeed, "Afsaneh" is one of the narrative poems of Nima that comprises two narratives and some partial narratives. In this study, the narrative aspects of this epopee will be considered. At first, two main narratives are analyzed semiologically, i.e. the type of signs and codes are recognized and, then, according to this distinction, their frequency and functions, the narrative state of poem will be analyzed.