Mahmoud Afrouz,
Volume 8, Issue 22 (3-2022)
Abstract
The present article aims at analyzing the role of paratopic elements of ‘translation’ and ‘religion’ in the emergence of comparable mystical-literary works through comparing two allegories: the outstanding English allegorical novel The Pilgrim’s Progress by Bunyan and the contemporary Persian novella From A’in to Ghaf by Afrouz. Parsa, the hero in the Persian novella, sets off his mystical journey at the age of forty. The main character in Bunyan’s work, Christian, abandons his town and begins his hazardous journey to the Celestial City. A plethora of allusions to the Holy Qur’an and the Bible were found in the Persian and English stories, respectively. Drawing on Attar’s Mantegh-al-Tair as a framework, this study attempts to compare different stages of mystical journeys in the two works. The major reason for the resemblance between the two works is their religious backgrounds. Moreover, as the author of the Persian novella was the translator of the English novel, a sort of unconscious influence could also be involved.
Literary Studies,
Volume 8, Issue 22 (3-2022)
Abstract
Mahboubeh Alihoory,
Volume 8, Issue 22 (3-2022)
Abstract
“Romance-Chivalry” as a literary genre, narrates in poetic terms the protagonist’s struggle to achieve the beloved. Ayyuqi’s Varqa and Golshāh, Saam Nameh, Khwaju Kermani’s Homay o Homayun, Nazl Abadi’s Masnavi-e Jamal and Jalal, and Humay Nameh and Badi al-Zaman Nameh (by an anonymous poet) are among the outstanding works in this genre from the fifth to tenth Hijri centuries. The characterization of the protagonist is among the most significant narrative characteristics of this genre. The shared characteristics between the protagonists can classified as a genre. The protagonists in this genre, who have multidimensional and mysterious personalities and are of noble and royal descendants, are portrayed as lovers, moralists, pacifists, theists, and chivalrous which render them popular among people. Also, based on context and narrative traditions, the protagonist can be characterized within an Iranian-Islamic axis where he is presented as prophet, saint, leader, and commoner. In Ayyuqi’s work, the protagonist is a leader. According to Northrop Frye, the protagonist is superior to ordinary people. The protagonist’s personality, to various degrees, follows the characterization tradition Shahname, Eskandar Nameh-e Naghalli, and Hamzeh Nameh. Gradually, The protagonist’s religiosity becomes prominent which accords with the dominant political and religious circumstances of the poet’s society, to the extent that in Badi al-Zaman Nameh we witness dogmatic protagonist.
Jamileh Akhyani,
Volume 8, Issue 22 (3-2022)
Abstract
Kelileh and Demneh has received special attention as a book of wisdom and politics throughout history. Nasrollah Monshi’s translation of the book into Persian in the sixth century turned it into one of the most important works of prose in Persian literature and a model for literary writers, and outdid other translations of the same book. The significance of this translation has made its numerous republications, edition, and correction inevitable. In Iranian academia, the edition and correction by Mojtaba Minovi has gained a popular foothold. Despite Minovi's significant contribution to improving the quality of the book, there are some phrases whose meaning is ambiguous and confuse readers. This study examines some of these phrases in the first step and subsequently offers corrections by drawing on textual parallels, the author's style, textual evidence from other parts of the book, and evidence from classical Persian texts. This study suggests that distortion, word shift, grammatical errors cause ambiguity in the selected phrases.
