Poetics of Emendation: The Role of Reverse Iranology in Vahid Dastgerdi’s Emendation of Nizami’s Poetry (Case Study: Haft Peykar)

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 PhD and Independent Scholar of Persian Language and Literature. Iran.

2 Visiting Professor at McGill University, Montral, Canada.

Abstract

During the period of the Iranian Literary Society, the critique and revision of texts were considered integral components of literary research. Concurrently, Hassan Vahid Dastgerdi, a poet, critic, and magazine editor, published his literary studies in two domains: theoretical and practical criticism, with a primary focus on the works of Nizami Ganjavi in the magazine Armaghan. By examining his efforts to revise Nizami’s Khamseh (Quintet) as a cultural asset, this study addresses the role of reverse Iranology in the emendation and processing of literary texts. It demonstrates that Vahid Dastgerdi’s skepticism toward the literary methods of European orientalists forms the basis for discussing the theoretical advancements made by textual emendators. This skepticism, particularly after engaging with Helmut Ritter’s scholarly-critical framework and meeting Jan Rypka at the Ferdowsi Millennial Congress, highlights Dastgerdi’s reversal of orientation. The research method involves qualitative content analysis, with data collected from old manuscripts of Haft Peykar (The Seven Beauties) and its printed editions, as well as other relevant sources. The study explores how Dastgerdi’s national rethinking of the Khamseh revision in a European style, aligned with literary theory and criticism in Armaghan, connects with themes such as “Vahid’s mythical thinking as a poet turned critic,” “the poetic nature of the Khamseh and the chaotic state of its manuscripts,” and “the convergence of European scientific-critical tools with local traditions” during his time. This intervention contributed to the localization of textual critique and revision within Persian literary heritage.

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Main Subjects

References

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Persian Language and Literature
Volume 78, Issue 252
December 2025
Pages 133-110

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History

  • Receive Date: 26 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 06 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 09 September 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 December 2025

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