LITERARY CRITICISM
Year:2009 | Volume:2 | Issue:6|Papers Count:10

Structural semioticians believe that bilateral contrasts are signifying elements which shape a text’s concealed structure; while their analysis makes the interpretation and paraphrase of meaning a possible task. Binary elements, which according to linguistics, psychology, and structural anthropology are factors of cognition and comprehension, have found a variety of different expressions and manifestations in cultural texts; whether they are in written form within literary works or have appeared in the visual and auditory arts. A survey of the variety of bilateral contrasting elements that the author has used, in addition to the manner in which they are processed, show the stylistics of the work; just as the semiotic study of binary elements in the depiction and portrayal of Rumi’s poetry show that: 1) All the objective and subjective bilateral contrasts which somehow instil ascension or descent are utilized for expressing materialistic and spiritual affairs and phenomena. 2) All the bilateral contrasts are finally united in a specific point and their contradicting identity is resolved. 3) Negation of contradictory identity from bilateral contrasts occurs through rhetorical and declarative devices which once categorized, guides us towards semiotic description of Rumi’s poetry in Massnavi and Shams Poetry Book (known in Persian as “Divane Shams”).

There is an inevitable relation between philosophical hermeneutics and Literary theory, especially Reader-Response theories. It springs from phenomenological approach in philosophical hermeneutics and phenomenological predecessor of these theories. Indeed, in this point of view, philosophical hermeneutics is an Existential philosophy on the interpretation of the text.Philosophical aspect of philosophical hermeneutics is based on the Existentiality of it. Furthermore the Existence that Gadamer and Ricouer consider is an interpreted Existence; as a result, the interpretation of text, is in the center of hermeneutical views of Gadamer and Ricouer.The difference between their sights is a subsidiary difference pertaining to the main difference which is their ways towards Existence. The most important difference is related to Ricouer's epistemological model and Gadamer’s ontological view in the process of interpretation. The main difference is in fact the base of the other subsidiary differences: temporality; linguistic; dialectical and objectivity.In this article I'm going to discuss the relation between philosophical hermeneutics and literary theory and then describe the views of Gadamer and Ricoeur on text I will compare the interpretation models in Gadamer’s and Ricoeur’s point of views on text in accordance with the four differences mentioned. Finally I will draw a total conclusion form all the discussed matters.

The present paper intends to apply the Tense theory of Harald Weinrich to the study of tense in two Persian novels, Boofe Koor and Soveshoon. The findings show that categorization of texts into discussion and narration by Weinrich, could be applied in Persian fiction. Ayande (Future), Haal (Present) and Naqli (Perfect) construct those parts of a text that more tend to have qualities of discussion and discourse. On the other hand, past tenses like Gozashte Sadde (Simple Past), Gozashte Estemrari (Past Progressive) and Gozashte Dour/Ba'eed (Past Perfect) more tend to construct narrative parts of the texts.In addition, each group has its own past, present and future. In discussion system, Naqli plays the role of stating past, Haal is the zero point and states the present and Ayande states the future. On the other hand, in narration system, Gozashte Dour stating past and both Gozashte Sadde and Gozashte Estemrari are zero points and state the present. Moreover, we can say there is not a specific tense in Persian to state the future in this system.Finally, two tenses of Gozshte Sadde and Gozshte Estemarai play a role of foregrounding in narration system. The parts stated by Gozashte Estemrari usually are located on the background of the scene, while the main points of the narration which is stated by Gozashte Sadde are located on the foreground of the scene.

Hermeneutic theory of literary history suggests the "history of readers" or "literature audience" rather than the history of the author and the text. In this approach, the literariness of a text – for example Hafiz poems - is measured according to its vividness, dynamism and ability of its conversation with different generations. Therefore the literary historian should write the "history of the effects of Hafiz poems" upon its readers rather than the biography and history of Hafiz himself..By doing so, the historian actually writes "the life of Divan of Hafiz" and "the history of Hafiz meanings" i.e. the story of the text after its birth, and it's moving on in the history.By recognizing Hafiz readers in 15th century, the article has studied the echo of Hafiz voice in the first century after his death and according to the information obtained from sources in 15th century, classified Hafiz readers based on their types of reading. According to the biographical information and also some given titles and addresses to Hafez, his social position has been illustrated, and eventually the developing process of Hafez meanings from simplicity to complexity and from literary discourse into the sacred discourse, has been demonstrated.

In this essay parody will be discussed in the sphere of modern literary theories. In some of literary theories, parody is used as a literary genre to explain dominant processes and mechanisms in literary discourse, and some of them, such as deconstruction, operate as parody. According to Russian formalists, parody is a literary genre that, in the most effective way, represents evolution of literary genres and defamiliarization of literary texts. Mikhail Bakhtin places parody in his dialogism theory, too. According to structuralists too Parody is one of the complex and secondary literary genres that represent intertexuality. The relation between parody and deconstruction is connected to the way they act. Parody and deconstruction implicitly are the same, by breaching and inhabiting in former texts: they cause breaking and destruction of these texts.

Discourse analysis has emanated from ideas os scholars od Linguistics, semiotics, hermeneutics and the theories of Michel Foucault (1926-1992), but in contrast to the aforementioned methods, it cover the two aspects of the text: form and meaning and so it is a comprehensive approach for text analysis. Scholars like Fairclough, Wodak, Van Dijk, Fowler and Kress played an important role in introducing and promoting critical discourse analysis as a new approach to text analysis. In this research we have used Norman Fairclough’s approach. In the present study, it was tried to analyze Sovashoon of Simin Daneshvar. In so doing, we discussed the views of the author, and using an innovative approach, we discovered various semantic and thematic layers of meanings closer to this novel. It was concluded that Daneshvar, with her special approach to the political and social changes of her time ,has connected the politicosocial factors to mythological ones. This approach is specific to her, different with others' and so we can consider it as her own unique ideology. From a critical discourses analytic perspective, Simin Daneshvar, in her writings, made use of specific terms, epical and mythical dimensions and its connection with religion while generalizing these elements and connecting it to our era, has sought to create an independent Iranian identity. She managed to create an antiimperialistic hero from the working class and naturally promoted women’s role in the contemporary novels from a housewife to a reformer and activist in the socio-political areas.

An important fact in the field of genre changes is that domination of one discourse and cultural current in a specific epoch has an undeniable effect on the appearance of a new genre. If some of literary criticizers have proposed the theory of literary genres basen on Darwin's theory and the natures of beings, we can interpret the theory of changes of literary genres based on Paul Tillich's views considering human's anxieties in the three domains of existence anxiety (death), moral and ethical anxiety (sin) and spiritual anxiety (absurdity and meaninglessness).In this paper, I will describe Paul Tillich's view in this domain and considering the domination of a thought discourse and the appearance of a specific mental type (anxiety) in a specific epoch, will try to analyze the appearance of a literary genre homogenous with that.