A Study of Parables in Masnavi based on Mark Turner’s Theory of Conceptual Blending

Molavi’s Masnavi is based on one of the most practical and entrenched traditions of Persian literature, namely, the use of parables for the purpose of teaching. Masnavi’s parables are rooted in written or oral folklore, and religious and historical stories. Yet, Molavi has created an amazing world of meaning beyond the world and structure of folk traditions and beliefs for his readers. The emphasis of this transference of meaning is due to his special style of allegorization and his creative mental processes while projecting the familiar spaces onto the unfamiliar target meaning and presenting the final meaning from inside of this blend. Following Mark Turner’s theory of the literary mind, this article intends to analyze the mechanism of allegorization in Masnavi from the source-space of folk, religious and historical stories to the target-space of the mystical meaning as well as Molavi’s mental processes as exemplified by the parable “Blaming the Man who was Accused of Killing his Mother”. The findings show that the projection route for the two stories of the source and the target is not one-way and straightforward at all. Rather, it is a complex procedure of projection, blending and multiple combinations including a set of creative techniques. The power and worth of this creation of meaning results from Molavi’s creativity in choosing the unusual source and target spaces in such a way that their projection and blending, while corresponding structurally, possess a powerful and meaningful conflict in terms of concepts and ideas. It is a conflict and blending out of which aesthetic techniques such as paradox, irony and defamiliarization are generated. These techniques have a deconstructional and convincing effect on the minds of the readers, which is the direct factor for the didactic power and literary splendor of Masnavi’s fables and parables.
 
Extended Abstract
 
1. Introduction
Rumi’s Masnavi is based on one of the most practical and entrenched traditions of Persian literature, i.e., the use of parables for the purpose of teaching. Masnavi’s parables derive from written or oral folklore and religious and historical stories. Yet, Rumi has created an unusual world of meaning beyond the world and structure of folk traditions. It seems that the relationship between the superstructure and allegorical meaning in some of Masnavi’s parables is improbable. The allegorical meaning in a noticeable number of parables in Masnavi results from a kind of conflict between the opposing spaces and concepts, which maximizes their literary prominence and influence. In the present study, attempt is made to understand the process of conceptualization and meaning creation in Masnavi’s parables, the features of these allegorical meanings and also Rumi’s mental processes in creating meaning by analyzing the mechanism of moving from the basic story to the mystical meanings in the parable “Censuring the Man Who Killed His Mother Based on False Accusation” using Mark Turner’s theory of the literary mind.
 
2. Theoretical Framework
In the present article, cognitive semantics is employed to examine the role of the author’s mental processes and his knowledge of the world in conceptualizing and creating meaning. Mark Turner’s theory of the literary mind, used in analyzing parables, derives from cognitive semantics. Moreover, his theory of conceptual blending is of great help in the present study.
 
3. Methodology
In this study, we use the cognitive semantics approach and the descriptive-analytical method to analyze a parable by Rumi based on Turner’s literary mind theory.
 
4. Findings
The findings of the present study indicate that a complex procedure of projection, blending and multiple combinations, employed creatively, has enabled Rumi to develop his parables. The unconventional contrasts and the use of paradox and irony have all made the story more convincing for the reader. These techniques, which were in some ways influenced by mystical thoughts, were mainly the result of Rumi’s literary mind.
 
5. Conclusion
The final meaning of a parable, according to Turner, derives neither from the meaning of each input story nor from the sum of them. It is, rather, a meaning generated through the contrast between the elements and contexts of the input stories. The formation of such a meaning is not just the outcome of Rumi’s subtle observation of the opposing spaces and stories, but is the result of his talent for shaping these conflicts in order to create a paradoxical/ironic and, at the same time, powerful meaning. The findings of this study show that cognitive theories can play a great part in identifying the mechanism used in the creation of literary meanings and analyzing the prominent aspects of these meanings and the conceptualization system employed by literary authors. Comparative studies on Persian allegorical works based on cognitive methods can help the researchers uncover the reasons for the differences in how Persian literary writers have used parables in their works and identify the distinctions between the writers’ mental processes in developing meanings.