https://sipl.gu.ac.ir/ Societies in Persian literature en daily 1 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://sipl.gu.ac.ir/article_241682.html  Hussein Sanapour’s novels have a modern structure. In his novels, the author depicts cities and all phenomena related to them as unpleasant and chaotic, as well as a reality that alienates human beings. To portray the darkness and disagreeableness of urban life in his novels, Sanapour employs specific narrative techniques, such as the narrative acceleration introduced by Gérard Genette, a French literary critic. Concentrating on the narrative structures of Hussein Sanapour’s novels, the current research seeks to examine the relationship between narrative acceleration and the manner in which a suspicious pessimism is painted about urban life experiences. The study’s analytical approach is grounded in narratological content analysis. In this study, the criterion for selecting the novels under investigation was the frequency of narrative acceleration. The study asks this central question: How has the narrative acceleration contributed to the unsatisfactory picture of the city presented in Sanapour’s novels? According to the study’s findings, there is a relationship between narrative acceleration and the sense of discontent with urban life experiences in Sanapour’s novels under discussion. https://sipl.gu.ac.ir/article_241690.html This article examines the narrative style of Nafthat al-Masdur in relation to the concepts of power and history, drawing on Michel Foucault’s theoretical framework in discourse analysis. Nafthat al-Masdur by Kharandezi Zaidari Nasavi, written in the context of the fall of the Khwarazmshahian and the Mongol conquest, is a historical narrative and a text full of ideological tensions, personal suffering, and a complex representation of hegemonic power relations. As a historical discourse, this work, at its heart, reflects historical and Islamic-Iranian events and also brings to the reader the production and reproduction of meanings surrounding power, legitimacy, and social order. From Foucault’s perspective, history is not just memory but a stage in the struggle for power, and historical narratives are the means by which the field, subjects, institutions, and structures are redefined. This article shows how the author of Nafthat al-Masdur, with his specific language and narrative structures, not only helps to record a political crisis, but also participates in a discourse of power; a discourse in which words, silence, and the way events are represented carry hidden meanings and political implications https://sipl.gu.ac.ir/article_241692.html Saadi Shirazi is considered as one of the most comprehensive masters of Persian literature, whose eloquence and command of literary sciences made his speech unrivaled among his contemporaries. According to scholarly research, Saadi’s works are not limited merely to didactic and lyrical themes; rather, it appears that, under the influence of  Shahnameh, he also drew upon epic motifs in his writings. Moreover, through his long journeys across various places, Saadi gained substantial experiential knowledge of the people of his time, the historical and social circumstances, and the cultural currents of his age. All these characteristics have led to Saadi being perceived, through the mirror of his legacy, as a representative of the diverse cultural and sociological dimensions of Iran—and even of other nations. The concept of ayyāri (chivalric fellowship), whether in its positive aspect (the generous and self-sacrificing young hero) or negative aspect (the thief or bandit), as a social movement, a mystical approach, or a quasi-military organization, is one of the longstanding and significant themes in Iran’s cultural and social discourse, particularly during Saadi’s era. The Mongol invasions and the ensuing turmoil provided fertile ground for the active and prominent emergence of this ethical fraternity in defense of the lower classes. As a reform-minded man of letters, Saadi was undoubtedly not indifferent to the presence of the ayyārs and the realization of chivalric ideals in society. Indeed, there are indications that he may have felt an affinity toward them or at least may have been associated with, or even a member of, such a group. However, it remains to be examined whether the didactic dimension of Saadi’s discourse which does not appear to have a direct connection with the unexpectedly frequent presence of ayyārs and their epic customs—can substantiate the claim of his affiliation or connection with them. The present descriptive-analytical study, employing an inductive method and drawing upon numerous intra-textual evidences from Saadi’s works, seeks to evaluate the plausibility of this hypothesis, with particular emphasis on Bustan and Golestan. https://sipl.gu.ac.ir/article_241700.html Among historical sources, ikhwānī (fraternal) letters are considered as one of the most significant categories for the study of Iran’s social history. In these letters, through the articulation of personal circumstances and the everyday life of the writer addressed to the recipient, a context is created for the emergence and manifestation of a wide range of social data. The frequency of such data in ikhwānī correspondence provides uniquely valuable insight into the challenges, concerns, and issues shaping the daily lives of people. The present study seeks to answer the following question: What social categories concerning the condition of Iranian society in the seventh century AH are articulated in the ikhwānī letters of al-Mukhtārāt min al-Rasāʾil, and how did these categories contribute to the continuity and endurance of Iranian social life during that period? The objective of this article is to offer a descriptive-analytical reading of the dominant social categories in Iranian society, based on the ikhwānī letters contained in al-Mukhtārāt min al-Rasāʾil, drawing upon the theoretical framework of the “United Front” (ruy-e mottahedeh) approach. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the data have been collected through library-based research. The findings indicate that Iranian society in the seventh century, when confronted with complex political, military, and social conditions, was able to sustain its social life by relying on collective and acquired bonds and loyalties. These included: the exchange of personal and individual titles (aimed at recalling hierarchical honorifics), confronting the turmoil of the age through the reinforcement of social ties, and the reaffirmation of familial duties and kinship bonds. https://sipl.gu.ac.ir/article_241786.html Pierre Bourdieu, the French sociologist, conceives power as the product of social relations and maintains that society continually reproduces unequal structures of power. The application of his theory to classical texts—including the Golestan of Saadi Shirazi—demonstrates that such works are not merely reflections of moral teachings; rather, they constitute arenas of struggle over the definition of legitimacy and the distribution of cultural and symbolic capital. With the aim of uncovering the latent layers of power embedded in classical literature, this article analyzes the tale “Saʿdi’s Dispute with a Claimant Concerning Wealth and Poverty” from the Golestan as a scene of symbolic contestation within the theoretical framework of Bourdieu. Employing a qualitative and analytical method, the study first explicates the key concepts of Bourdieu’s political sociology and subsequently examines the tale in light of these concepts. The findings indicate that the gathering (majlis), as a “symbolic field,” constitutes an arena of unequal struggle. The claimant, by feigning possession of “symbolic capital” and deploying “symbolic violence,” seeks to legitimize the discourse of poverty. In contrast, Saʿdi, drawing upon his accumulated “cultural capital,” defends the dominant order by converting economic capital into moral capital. The outcome is the defeat of an agent lacking legitimate forms of capital. This study demonstrates that the Golestan, beyond its overt ethical instruction, serves as a site for the consolidation of the legitimacy of “symbolic violence” and the reproduction of the hegemony of the dominant discourse. https://sipl.gu.ac.ir/article_242713.html Marxism is a social and political theory that emphasizes political economy and divides society into two opposing groups: the exploiters and the exploited. Since the early twentieth century, it has strongly influenced intellectual and literary fields. In Iran, after the spread of Russian Marxism, many intellectuals and writers focused on themes such as justice, opposition to capitalism, and support for marginalized groups. Previous studies have mainly examined themes and class representation in Iranian literature; however, less attention has been given to direct critiques of the collapse of leftist idealism and the failure of Marxist ideas in Khan-e Edrisiha. In this novel, Ghazaleh Alizadeh takes a socio-political approach to critically portray the breakdown of the October Revolution. Using an analytical and critical method, this study shows how Alizadeh, who was once sympathetic to Marxist ideas, questions her fictional world and its characters by expressing disillusionment with leftist ideologies and highlighting their limitations. The research is based on a socio-literary analysis of the novel, along with a critical reading of its events and characters. It focuses especially on the gap between ideas and actions, the persistence of individual power, and the restriction of freedoms within the story. The findings suggest that Alizadeh not only depicts social change but also illustrates the collapse of Marxist ideals and the failure of radical leftist ideologies. By portraying characters caught in opportunism, power struggles, and a loss of empathy and humanity, the novel encourages readers to rethink the limits and weaknesses of such ideologies. As a notable work of contemporary Iranian literature, it holds both historical and broader global significance.