نشریه نقد و نظریه ادبی
سال نهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 18، بهار و تابستان 1403)

Informed by Gilles Deleuze’s “cinematographical theory” and Mohammad-Reza Shafiei Kadkani’s literary opinions on imagery, the present article endeavours to read and classify the images in the heroic age of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. The common ground between Deleuze and Kadkani is movement and time. This study categorises the images into two groups, namely, movement and time, and five categories: 1) rhetoric-based, 2) narrative-based, 3) language-based, 4) action-based, and 5) dialogue-based. This comparative-descriptive research locates itself at the crossroads of interdisciplinary studies.

“Salvation” has always been both an implicit and an explicit concern in literary works; it has often appeared as a well-interpreted ending and sometimes under the guise of the afterlife. An investigation of A Stone upon a Grave and Prince Ehtejab in light of such concepts differentiates between “the end of time” as passive apocalypticism and “the end time” as active apocalypticism. The two works are located in the tension created between these times. Golshiri’s inexhaustible and cycloidal time inspires the protagonist, though death, as calendar time, blows his dreams away. By accepting the authority of linear time, Al-e-Ahmad forgoes confronting time through qualitative or cycloidal time, and seeks salvation through breaching the linear time, which is manifest in childbearing.

Informed by “hiatus” and “continuity,” the transition from the old world to the new world marked the creation of two grand narratives. For hiatus, the new world was one of rationalisation which moved beyond tradition; however, it produced incompatible waves, such as Romanticism, Nostalgia, and Nihilism, all of which had a tendency to regress and glorify the continuity of the old world. Continuity, on the other hand, highlighted the continuation and the expansion of divine and cultural traditions in modernity. By dialogically paralleling the two concepts, one can better understand the pluralistic nature of modernity and its paradoxical experiences. Although one can identify such internal contradictions in Iranian modernity, a thorough analysis of their representations in Persian storytelling is less recurrent. In his The Lost Lamb of Rai, Houshang Golshiri moves away from the dichotomous traditionalist approach of the 60s and 70s and presents an unprecedented representation of the changing perception of modernity in the 70s. He moves beyond praising or negating the two worlds and presents a critical and intellectual narrative of the attraction/repulsion dialectics regarding the past and the present.

Informed by Henri Lefebvre’s “Production of Space” theory, this study aims to explore Khaqani’s representation of prison in his “Prison Poems” in the light of the perceived, imagined, and lived space dialectics. This research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach and employs library sources. The results of this study show that in the perceived space, the poet, informed by phenomenological and critical perspectives, reinterprets the material space of the prison by confronting the veil and recognising the implicit mechanisms of power; in the imagined space, echoing the prescriptive knowledge of the discourse of power, the poet, as the subject, adopts a forced understanding of the space, which reveals the power and role of other groups in Khaqani’s imprisonment; in the lived space, the poet, echoing an implicit resistance against the discourse of power, employs his imagination and poeticity to create a different space within the realm of possibilities, which has no material correlation with the real prison but only adds a utopian meaning. This study concludes that the material space of the prison, the imprisoned poet as an active subject, and the discourse of power affect the ambience of Khaqani’s “Prison Poems.”   

Love is a pivotal human emotion and a prevalent motif in lyrical literature. Informed by Tomashevsky’s introspective methodology, this study explores the tangible depiction and embodiment of love in Reza Mouzuni’s children’s story, titled “The Ice That Fell in Love with the Sun.” The thematic framework of a literary piece, in Tomashevsky’s view, is a tiered system comprising a collection of hierarchical micro-themes, at the base of which are atomic motifs. In other words, the interplay of constituent motifs shapes the thematic framework of all literary works. Tomashevsky posits that thematic analysis is inextricably linked to the examination of the motif system and its underlying motivations. Motivation is defined as the rationale which validates the inclusion of a specific atomic motif within the thematic system of a literary work. In differentiating between Fabula and Syuzhet, Tomashevsky elucidates the correlation and placement of each motif within Fabula and Syuzhet, categorising motifs into two types: dynamic/static and free/bound. This descriptive-analytical study seeks to investigate the functional structure of atomic motifs within the molecular system in light of the romantic theme of the above-mentioned story. This study concludes that the lyrical thematic framework is informed by the interplay of micro-lyrical themes across both Fabula and Syuzhet levels.

The present article explores the manifestations and interactions of Postmodern discourse in MohammadReza Safdari’s “The Two Quails.” It endeavours to realise how a text can challenge the rules of representation and suggest new horizons of representation. Adopting a qualitative approach, informed by Jean-François Lyotard’s conceptualisation of the event, the postmodern sublime, and the issue of identity, the present study investigates “The Two Quails.” The results of this study show that by distorting the narrative line, Safdari creates a sense of suspension, which challenges the reader’s expectations. By disobeying the rules and regulations of discourse and modern story-telling, Safdari showcases new methods of representation. His narrative explores a chaotic world in which any meaningful systematic unity is untenable and flexible. This uncertainty is echoed by the content and the form as well.

Informed by discursive and lived experiences, Afghan poetesses have many representations of poetic phenomena. Female-centred metaphors provide an image of women’s situation and orientation in Afghanistan. This study explores the metaphors for women in three Afghan poetesses who represent a spectrum of Afghan people and poets. Closely tied to tradition, Mahjoubeh Heravi adopts and maintains a traditional mindset toward women. Homaira Nakhat, on the other hand, adopts a reformist approach; she starts from a traditional point of view and becomes more modern, transcending her representations of women from passive to active. In stark contrast, Baran Sajadi deviates from tradition, challenges the norms, and breaks the taboos. The scope of this study is limited to the poems of the above-mentioned poetesses. Adopting a content analysis approach, this study explores the grand metaphors for women in the three poetesses to expose their worldview.

Our body is diverse and scattered. Controlled by our body, we move within time and space. As the border between us and the other, our body differentiates us from the other. It also functions as a veil that hinders our connection with the qualitative and pure worlds. Now, suppose the body wishes to move beyond quantitative and material limitations. In that case, the body must transcend beyond itself and achieve a form of existence that has no spatio-temporal constraints. The transcended body connects with the essence of existence, which, in turn, results in the creation of a presence that Rumi calls “Jān” or metabody. The metabody, according to Rumi, can reach a higher order and become one and the same with “Jānān.” How can the body move beyond itself and fuse with the metabody? Informed by Rumi’s thoughts and worldview, this study aims to investigate the semiotics of the body and metabody. The findings of this study suggest that by moving beyond the material, temporal, and spatial constraints, the action-body turns into an event-body and achieves a higher order in existence. The event-body is a Hādith-body that elevates the subject by fusing it with the metabody. The metabody moves beyond spatio-temporal constraints and reflects the essence of the presence.

One can explain the symbol in light of its meaning, values, internal mechanism, and ontological and epistemological significance. Among them, the ontological and epistemological traditions of analysis are of importance. Since the former has already been explored in another study, the present article addresses the epistemological aspects of the symbol. The investigation of approaches and the fundamentals of symbol analysis, in an epistemological reading, is possible only through accepting the equal and unequal epistemological aspects of the language of science and the language of art. In this regard, by rereading the tradition of epistemological symbol analysis, the present study aims to clarify the following issues: What arguments qualify the symbol as elements that contain meaning and value? And how does integrating or separating the language of science and the language of art affect our explanation of the symbol? In this respect, as the present article critically rereads the tradition of epistemological symbol analysis, it endavours to clarify the adopted approaches, in the said tradition, regarding the symbol in light of its concept, place, and function. This study illustrates that in the first tradition, the main purpose is to balance the epistemological aspects of science and literature, whereas the second tradition, while differentiating between the two languages, aims to explore their internal mechanisms and fundamental characteristics.

This article investigates Bijan Najdi's story, “The Day of Horse-Falling,” in light of ecofeminist criticism and narratology. It explores how Najdi’s narrative portrays the oppression of women and nature within a patriarchal framework. The key questions addressed in this study are as follows: How does Najdi employ narratological techniques to link women and nature? And how do these methods relate to the power structures within feudal and tribal societies? This study aims to analyse Najdi’s narrative techniques in highlighting the double oppression of women and nature, and to present a comprehensive analysis of the patriarchal power relations in a traditional society. This study underscores the significance of Najdi’s story as an example of Iranian ecofeminist literature, which contributes to the awareness of women’s and environmental issues in Iran’s cultural context. Informed by ecofeminist and narratological approaches, the research presents a qualitative analysis of the story. It demonstrates how the solidarity between women and nature is portrayed through the perspectives of the horse and Asieh. Additionally, it examines Najdi’s poeticity and symbolic imagery in depicting identities and emotional connections. The findings reveal that by telling the narrative from the horse’s first-person point of view, Najdi challenges the patriarchal structure of the village. The disappearance of the horse and Asieh, followed by the horse's capture as well as by identity distortion, symbolises the persistent oppression of women in a patriarchal society. The study shows that power relations in such contexts are deeply entrenched, and attempts to evade them are often futile.