COMPARATIVE LITERATURE STUDIES
Year:2010 | Volume:4 | Issue:15|Papers Count:8

Lalah-Rookh (1817), Thomas Moore’s long narrative romance, is the story of a young princess’s journey and her affection for Feramorz, a young poet who relates various stories from Iran. Moore lives in the era of Napoleon’s sovereignty, George III’s domination, and the British colonization of Ireland. In his depiction of Persian history, literature, and religion, he tries to make them adaptable to his native society. This attempt can be investigated within the framework of Edward Said’s Orientalism. Scrutinizing orientalist writings of westerners the theory introduces new ways to study orientalist literary texts of 18th and 19th centuries.

Penetration of culture and literature of orient began at the time of crusades and so the German authors of romanticism became founded in oriental inspiration for literary works. Orient was for Goethe until 1814, when he recived the translation of Divan Hafiz, translated by Hammer- Purgstall, a medium for the release of the time. But after reading this translation he became so enthusiastic that hecomposed poems about Hafiz. Rueckert translations ofculture and literature of orient occurred after Goetheand introduced to the west the culture and literature of orient and enriched the geraman language which is a very good language for expression of thoughts of people in the world.

The present study is a cross-cultural survey of American Sylvia Plath’s and Iranian ForughFarrokhzad’s poetry in the light of Showalterian feminist viewpoint. Elaine Showalter believes that analyzing women’s works according to the male-constructed theories would result in mere imitation of male discourse and consequently mere silence of women even in evaluating their own works. Thus, she presents a female framework i.e. Gynocriticism. The present writers are to scrutinize some Plath’s and Farrokghzad’s poems according to the above-mentioned framework and come to the conclusion that both poets reject the pre-established norms of patriarchal literature. As two avant-garde poets, they create a literature of themselves on the basis of their female entity and experience.

ShahrnushParsipur and Marguerite Duras are two contemporary Iranian and French writers who share some similarities in their works due to the facts such as being a woman, a writer, an intellectual, living in a twenty century world and having experienced different feminist approaches and living in the East. The question is then what are these similarities? The research hypothesis based on the question is then liberal love, magical realism, breaking traditions and uprising against the current status of women, challenging false beliefs and superstitions and criticizing the present male chauvinist rules and regulations.

Since the countries of Iran and Palestine have historically undergone many events, the literature of resistance has become widely popular in these countries. Poetic expression of patriotism, fighting against colonialism and oppression and sacrificing for the sake of home has been among the prominent features of this literary type. In many occasions in their books of poems the liberal Iranian poetMalekal-ShoaraBahar and the nationalist Palestinian poet Ibrahim Toghan perfectly show the patriotism and sacrificing for one’s hometown. Therefore their political and social poetry has many things in common.

Nahj Al-Blaghe is the most valuable and influent book for Muslims after the holy Quran. This book is Effective and Meaningful for anyone as a Muslim. This moral treasure has also had great effects on literary men. The present article investigatesBustan by Saadi and studies and presents the images which Saadi has extracted from Nahj Al-Blaghe, Ghorar Al-Hekamand Doarar Al-Hekam. Comprehending the sayingsused in the mentioned works needs great wise and the writer has done it as fluently as possible. At the beginning of each subject where possible, one Verse (Ayah) from the holy Quran has been presented.

Due to the similar social and cultural conditions of Iranian and Iraqi nations, the present article attempts to survey the points of similarity and difference in the works of Muhammad Mehdi Javaheri and Muhammad hussainShahryar based on the religious themes of their poetry. Javahery in his poetry discusses the fighting against superstitions and religious segmentation whilehe is after religious reforming. Also the view Shahryar holds is a fundamentalist one and he tries to elaborate the main branches of religion. The present article is a comparison of the religious views of these two neoclassic poets.

One of the literary men and famous poets of the second half of the fifth century AH who could adopt many themes through inspiration of the Arab poetsand apply those themes in his poetry was Abul-Faraj Runi. He is a great master of Persian poetry who was very popular among his contemporary poets and even poets after him. He was known as the master and his book of poetry was the one favored by Anwary the great poet of the sixth century AH. He pioneered a movement of the perfection of Persian poetry especially with regards poetic depictions which ruined the previous methods. The present article studies Runi’s poetry and compares it to Arab poetry.