Document Type : Research article
Authors
1 persian language and literature faculty of humanities lorestan university khorramabad iran
2 university lorestan, Iran
Abstract
Highlights
A Comparative Study of the Works of Samuel Beckett and Sadegh Hedayat
from the View point of Absurdism with Emphasis on Novels "Malone Dies" and "Blind Owl"
Zahra Koushki
PhD student of Persian language and literature, Lorestan University
Mohammad Khosravi Shakib (Corresponding Author)
Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Lorestan University
Mohammad Reza Roozbeh
Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Lorestan University
Safia Moradkhani
Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Lorestan University
Abstract
"Absurdism" is a thought that is rooted in various factors such as ideal poverty, materialism, lack of purpose, death thinking, failures, and so on. Some see "absurdism" and "nihilism" as two identical categories; but the fact is that the two are semantically different. Among contemporary writers, Sadegh Hedayat, an Iranian intellectual writer, and Samuel Beckett, an Irish writer, are the messengers of absurd philosophy. The authors' aim in this paper is to make a comparative study of "absurdity" with an emphasis on two well-known works, "The Malone Dies" by Beckett and "Blind Owl" by Hedayat. The collected material analyzed shows that these two authors show the world the influence of the Surrealist school, absurdity and despair; the difference is that Beckett's ideas and theories in this story are closer to "philosophical absurdity" and Hedayat’s ideas are closer to the views and theories of the "nihilists".
Keywords: Beckett; Hedayat; nihilism; Malone dies; Blind Owl.
Introduction
"Absurdism" is an approach of thinkers that has long occupied the human mind and has been seen in all ages in a faint or bold way; but in the present age it is very tangible. In absurdity, the phenomena of the universe are assumed to be purposeful, and the existence of this purpose is never denied. Along with "absurdism", there is a phenomenon called "nihilism" in which any value and purpose in life is meaningless. "Blind Owl" is the most complete story of Hedayat's story, with its symbolic and surrealist themes, which are difficult to interpret, a book that is the sad key to a world which itself has been ruined. Among Beckett's works, "Malone Dies" is more like the story of "Blind Owl"; the two works have many similarities, such as Beckett and Hedayat's fictional characters. In these two works, they live so close to death that they can no longer find meaning in anything.
Goals
Addressing the commonalities and differences of view and writing of the two absurdist writers of the twentieth century (Beckett and Hedayat) from the perspective of absurdity is the main research goal of the present study.
Findings
The thematic matching of the stories "Malone Dies" and "Blind Owl" is one of the extraordinary commonalities between the two works. Here are some examples of these similarities:
1-Both stories are speeches from a painful heart and a masterpiece from the hadith-e- Nafs, which express their pains in the form of delusional words.
2-The two authors' views on life are a sense of futility due to their pessimism about life.
3-Unintentional writing of the text is clearly seen, which has led to freedom and freedom from restrictions.
4-In both stories, there is a kind of salvation for modern man from emptiness; in "Malone Dies", writing and in "Blind Owl", painting.
5-Beckett and Hedayat use literary metaphors to describe and describe the world around them as more absurd.
6-Black is the most widely used color that shows the atmosphere of two stories as cold and soulless.
7-The plot in both stories does not have a specific order and they are similar in terms of narrative form and time confusion.
8-A concept called "secret" attracts the attention of any audience; this mystery can be a vague and confusing mystery of death.
These two stories, in addition to their similarities, also have distinctive features. Here are some examples of these differences:
1- Doubt in "Malone Dies" is a philosophical doubt; but in "Blind Owl", this doubt is entirely a psychological one.
2-In "Blind Owl", a concomitant analogy (ugliness) has been used; but in "Malone Dies," the analogy shows up, according to classical rhetoric, for beautification.
3-In the story of "Blind Owl", there are traces of the naturalist school that confront the reader with a kind of vulgar literature; But Beckett is popular in "Malone Dies."
4-Hedayat's view in "Blind Owl" is more based on the denial of any goal and value; But Beckett does not deny the existence of purpose and value.
5-The result of most of the characters in "Blind Owl" is a kind of failure and frustration; But in "Malone Dies," the singer is not confronted with any manifestation of failure.
Conclusion
Among Beckett's and Hedayat's works, the stories "Malone Dies" and "Blind Owl" play a key role in the destruction and futility of life and the emptiness and induction of these things in the audience. Considering that Beckett's absurdity is philosophical and reasonable, and Hedayat's absurdity is psychological, it is closer to the "nihilists" because Beckett uses philosophical doubt as a means of understanding the problems of existence. But Hedayat is so mentally skeptical that he doubts even the most obvious things such as the existence of the universe.
References
1-Alvarez, Alfred (1995). Beckett, translated by Morad Farhadpour, second edition, Tehran: New Design.
2-Beckett, Samuel (2020). Malone Dies, translated by Soheil Sami, second edition, Tehran: Sales.
3-Payandeh, Hassan (2014). Short Story in Iran, Tehran: Niloufar.
4- Taslimi, Ali (2009). Proposals in Contemporary Literature (Story), Third Edition, Tehran: Akhtaran.
5-Servat, Mansour (2006). Introduction to Literary Schools, Tehran: Sokhan Publications.
6-Ghafouri, Ali (2000). Notes on Nihilism, Tehran: Islamic Culture Publishing House.
7-Ghaemian, Hassan (2005). Hedayat from the European Point of View, Tehran: Azad Mehr
8-Camus, Albert (1970). Philosophy of Emptiness, translated by Dr. Mohammad Taghi Ghiasi, second edition, Tehran: Payam.
9-Mirsadeghi, Jamal (2003). Famous Iranian Storytellers, Tehran: Point.
10-Hedayat, Sadegh (1972). Blind Owl, Tehran: Amirkabir Publishing
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