Document Type : علمی- پژوهشی
Author
English Language and Literature Department Faculty of Literature & Languages Arak University, Arak, Iran
Abstract
In narratology, the discussion of the six components of the narrative communicative model has given rise to heated debate. The author discusses the six components of the narrative communicative model and how they relate to the external and internal voices of the narrator. The real Saʾdi Shirazi is the composer of the works, but there is also an implied author who mediates between the real Sa’di and the narrator. The narrator's voice conveys the Prologue of Golestân to the reader/narrator, while Saʾdi Shirazi's voice can indicate his ideology as a real author. However, the works are not a direct reflection of the real Sa’di's positions, but rather he expresses his point of view through textual tools. The article examines the real and implied position of Saʾdi in the Prologue of Golestân, using the authorial Saʾdi as a solution to discuss contradictions and paradoxes attributed to the real Sa’di. From this position, Golestân and Bustân are the works by this authorial Saʾdi rather than the real Saʾdi mentioned in the tazkiras.
Highlights
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
Real Sa’di Versus Implied Sa’di in the Prologue of Gulistan
Introduction
One of the intriguing yet challenging topics in the philosophy of art, particularly within the tradition of literary criticism and theory, has been the extent to which literary works reflect the thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes of their creators. Can we discuss the ethical and intellectual aspects of authors based on literary works? Alternatively, as narratologists, especially Wayne C. Booth (1961) and his followers in the field of narrative theories have formulated, are the expressed thoughts and attitudes in literary works not from real and historical authors but rather from the implied of those authors hidden within the text, seemingly silent but, in reality, considered the voice behind each word. This secondary portrayal or copy is hastily named by narratologists as the implied author, which is one of the components of the six-facet model of narrative texts proposed by Chatman (1978). In general, it seems that Sa’adi did not write the Bustan and Gulistan as a reflection of his own state, but rather, in line with educational and entertaining goals, he created imaginary journeys, characters, and non-historical settings. In this endeavor, he made use of the creation of fictional tales and fabricated characters and non-historical spaces. In essence, he engaged in literary creativity and crafted an imaginary world, more precisely, a narrative world in which there are narrators, protagonists, and specific times and places. At times, this literary creation may correspond to some aspects of the real historical world of Sa’adi's time, and at other times, it may not correspond at all. Now, if we accept that Gulistan is the created narrative world of Sa’adi with roots in historical reality, we can delineate the elements for this imaginary world, specify its framework, and examine it in terms of the components of the narrative relationship.
Research Background
So far, no article or source has examined the stories of Gulistan from a narratological perspective, although some aspects such as the point of view, character portrayal, and narrative structure have been addressed. The most relevant source is Sadrinia's article (2005), which attempted to explore the relationship between the narrator and the author in Sa’adi's narrative in Gulistan. Horri (2007) has also examined the narrative relationship pattern, among others.
Discussion
From the perspective of the narrative communicative model, Sa’adi is personally responsible for the narratives he has written, and there is no indication of another individual playing a role in storytelling or narrative creation. However, since we have become acquainted with the real-life circumstances of Sa’adi through biographies, these biographies themselves, as created works, have authors. In fact, today, we know Sa’adi through the description and circumstances presented in these works. In this regard, these biographies essentially construct an imaginary image of Sa’adi's life and circumstances, which we accept as the primary image of Sa’adi. Nevertheless, several issues arise here. Is the real Sa’adi, who is originally considered a product of the imagination of biographers, portrayed in various works with a consistent image, or does what we imagine, for example, from his anecdotes in contrast to what we imagine from reading his Bustan and Gulistan, differ significantly? Is Sa’adi, in the role of a real author who is himself the imagination of biographers, considered a storyteller/narrator in the realm of fictional narratives, and in the first place, are the fictional narratives of Gulistan also considered Sa’adi's narratives? Or is there a difference between Sa’adi as a storyteller/narrator and Sa’adi as a narrative author? Lastly, what is our role as real readers? Are these elements, resembling Sa’adi himself, who is the imagination of one or several imaginations, also imaginations in our minds and thoughts? How do we operate in the process of reading and answer numerous other questions?
Conclusion
Top Generally, the introductions that authors write about their works are considered among the first extratextual indicators that reveal the explicit presence of the author. It seems that the main motivation behind writing Gulistan was a response to the regret over the lost time and present circumstances. Here, Sa’adi places himself as the author in the position of the authorial audience. This authorial audience could originally be a secondary representation of the primary author that emerged later, deciding to write Gulistan. However, it appears to align relatively well with the characteristics we have listed for the concealed author. It is this concealed author who, in the role of the primary writer, pens the stories of Gulistan.
In his preface, Sa’adi even considers his secondary self as a fifty-year-old, hoping to make the most of the remaining five or six days of his life. Although these addresses, in addition to being the implied Sa’adi himself in the role of the authorial audience, can also be assumed to be addressing an imaginary or implied audience. It is evident that Sa’adi, in the process of composing these verses, did not think about a real audience, although if he did, it would not create any contradiction. However, the discussion here is that these addresses are usually directed at hypothetical individuals who might later become real readers. Perhaps Sa’adi, in the role of the concealed author, along with hypothetical and implied readers in Sa’adi's mind, can be considered as imaginative and implied narrative receptors.
In this sense, until the end of the preface, Sa’adi, as the author-centered figure, strives to convey the reasons for writing Gulistan to the hypothetical audience or implied readers by providing various pieces of evidence. While being author-centered, Sa’adi is also aware of specific fears and hesitations about writing and attempts to inform the concealed reader using allegories and anecdotes. Ultimately, in the role of the real author, he speaks about the writing style of Gulistan. What Sa’adi, as the author-centered figure, says about the enduring role, seems to be the same role of himself in the position of the concealed author, a role that shapes itself in the mind of the implied reader in the position of the audience.
Conclusion
of Many believe that one cannot infer the intentions and motives of authors from their works, and literary works are not created for the purpose of uncovering the intentions and motives of the writers. From the discussions of scholars, it can be understood that, in general, Gulistan and Bustan are considered more artificial and crafted works by Sa’adi, and there is little meaningful and corresponding connection between the narratives of these two books and the real-life events of Sa’adi. Therefore, if we intend to discuss the meanings and concepts of the narratives in Gulistan on one hand, and on the other hand, do not intend to relate them to the real Sa’adi due to some issues related to biography, history, and ethics, the concept of the concealed author becomes a practical and enlightening tool. Resorting to this tool may untangle the knot of not only many historical and ethical criticisms related to Bustan and Gulistan but also other literary works.
References
Anvari, H., (2005), Shurideh va Bi-Qarar (Darbareh-ye Sa’adi va Asar-e O { On Saadi and His
Works}), Tehran: Nashr-e Ghatreh.
Bahar, A. A., (1990), Sabk-Shenasi (3 vols.), Tehran: Amir Kabir.
Booth, W. C., (1961), The Rhetoric of Fiction, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
https://doi.org/10.22034/perlit.2024.55548.3455
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