https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/ Literary Theory and Criticism en daily 1 Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0330 Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0330 https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_8843.html Informed by the “embodied cognitive frames” theory, which considers the human body as the primary source of conceptual structuring in language, this study aims to analyse the semantic and structural properties of Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni in the Persian language. Within this approach, the body not only plays a central role in conceptualisation but also contributes to the grammatical categorisation, especially in the representation of semantic relations within noun phrases. Due to its semantic complexity, the divergence of grammatical options regarding it, and its high capacity for metonymic extensions, Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni deserves a renewed investigation from an embodiment-oriented perspective. Employing a descriptive method and argument-based content analysis, this article aims to provide a clearer definition of this type of Ezāfe and to distinguish it from other syntactic constructions. The data show that the structure of Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni is grounded in image-schematic connections rooted in embodied experience and sensorimotor representations. The head noun serves as the instantiation of a stabilized conceptual frame in accordance with bodily cognition, while the dependent noun (the ezafe-modifier) acts as a conceptual elaborator and image-space activator. This analysis confirms the efficacy of the embodied frame approach in explaining the syntactic-semantic behaviour of this type of ezafe, demonstrating that conjunctive relations – emerging from embodied organisations – interact with the cultural and aesthetic layers of language to generate multi-layered, flexible, and context-sensitive meanings. From this perspective, Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni can be identified as a dynamic, intersubjective, and meaning-generating sub-system in Persian language.   Extended Abstract1. IntroductionIn some types of suffixes in Persian grammar, the structure of body parts and the experience of corporeality play a key role, such as attributive and generic (declarative), simile and metaphorical suffixes. Meanwhile, Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni benefits from the conceptual domain of the human body and its parts (and other bodily attributes and signs), which closely correlates with the findings of interdisciplinary studies in the fields of nonverbal communication, body language, and cognitive semiotics of body parts. The premise of the present study is that the Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni introduces a meaning from the field of anatomy to the language through secondary representation and sensory and motor highlighting. Echoing an embodied semantic template – body-phrase (or its adjuncts), Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni conceptualizes/imagines one of the states, movements, actions, physiological reactions, cultural or ideological behaviors, and external signs (clothing, fashion, style, specific makeup, etc.) in the shortest possible form, while respecting the lexical economy of the language. However, its meaning is not limited to a single element (i.e., one of the aforementioned cases), but rather a noun, adjective, adverb, or infinitive, in the role of an adjunct, is among the secondary participants present in this semantic framework that also adds the meaning of that action, behaviour, or sign to these frameworks. An example is farewell in “Farewell Kiss,” which itself is a sensory and emotional phenomenon in human beings.2.MethodologyBy adopting a mixed method (descriptive, deductive and argumentative content analysis), the present study attempts to introduce a new definition and categorisation of Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni in Persian grammar.3. Theoretical FrameworkThe embodied cognitive frame theory was first introduced by Fillmore (1982). This theory attempts to obtain the meaning of words through the study and categorisation of conceptual schemes or mental-linguistic schemas. It proposes that our understanding of the world is shaped by our physical experiences and interactions with our environment. It suggests that cognitive processes, including reasoning and language, are not solely abstract but are grounded in our sensorimotor systems and bodily interactions.4. Discussion and AnalysisEzāfe-ye Eqtirāni is a group of words formed with embodied forms, which are the result of our embodiment and our multifaceted awareness (internal and external - conscious and unconscious) of bodily experiences and their different states in different situations. Analyzing Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni in accordance with the embodied cognitive frame theory explains the formulation and meaning of lexical combinations. Within this approach, the body not only plays a central role in conceptualization  of ideas but also contributes to grammatical categorisation, especially in the representation of semantic relations within noun phrases. Due to its semantic complexity, the divergence of grammatical options, and its high capacity for metonymic extensions, Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni deserves a renewed investigation from an embodiment-oriented perspective. Therefore, further analysis of Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni in the light of embodied cognitive frame theory will provide new insights into how these lexical combinations are formed and how meaning is generated. Also, it will contribute to a deeper classification and understanding of this linguistic phenomenon.5. ConclusionEmploying a descriptive method and argument-based content analysis, this paper aims to provide a clearer definition of this type of Ezāfe and to distinguish it from other syntactic constructions. The data show that the structure of Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni is grounded in image-schematic connections rooted in embodied experience and sensorimotor representations. The head noun serves as the instantiation of a stabilized conceptual frame in accordance with bodily cognition, while the dependent noun (the ezafe-modifier) acts as a conceptual elaborator and image-space activator. This analysis confirms the efficacy of the embodied frame approach in explaining the syntactic-semantic behaviour of this type of ezafe, demonstrating that conjunctive relations – emerging from embodied organisations – interact with the cultural and aesthetic layers of language to generate multi-layered, flexible, and context-sensitive meanings. From this perspective, Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni can be identified as a dynamic, intersubjective, and meaning-generating sub-system in Persian language. BibliographyCroft, W and Cruse, D. A. 2004. Cognitive Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Dingemanse, M. 2008. “The Selective Advantage of Body-part Terms.” Journal of Pragmatics. NV, NI, NP. Doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2008.11.008Evans, V. 2007. A Glossary of Cognitive Linguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Filmmore, J. 1982. “Frame Semantics.” In Linguistics in the Morning Calm. Linguistic Society of Korea (ed.). Seoul: Hanshin Publishing. 111-137.Filmmore, J. 2003. “Background to Framenent.” International Journal of Lexicography. 16(3), 235-250.Merleau-ponty, M. 1945. Phenomenology of Perception. London: Routledge.Pi, V et al. 1388 [2009]. Raftāre Gheir-e Kalāmi dar Ravābet-e Miān-fardi. Fatemeh, M (trans.). Tehran: Danjeh. [In Persian].Safari, J and Mehdi, A. 1396 [2017]. “Negāhi Dobāreh be Ezāfe-ye Eqtirāni.” Zabān va Adabiyāt-e Fārsi. 78, 101-114.Zakaei, M and Maryam, A. 1393 [2014]. Darāmadi bar Tārikh-e Farhang-e Badan dar Irān. Tehran: Tisa. [In Persian].           https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_8902.html This article is dedicated to examining the complex and intertwined relationship between the sign and meaning within the sphere of modern philosophy, focusing on the genealogy of interpretive systems in Michel Foucault’s intellectual framework. Through a conceptual and comparative analysis of the ideas of Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx, the author identifies three distinct temporalities in the functioning of signs and mechanisms of interpretation: the temporality of expiration in the classical sign system, linear temporality in Marxist dialectics, and cyclical temporality in modern hermeneutics. The study explores Foucault’s stance toward modern hermeneutics—which presupposes the primacy of interpretation over the sign—and examines the endless deferral of meaning, the impossibility of reaching a fixed origin, and the entangled relationship between interiority and exteriority as foundational components of modern thought. It further demonstrates that, according to the “hermeneutics of suspicion” attributed by Foucault to the aforementioned thinkers, every interpretation is itself the interpretation of another, and the sign dwells in a fluid, unstable, and provisional state. While acknowledging the innovation in Foucault’s tripartite temporality, this article argues for its revision on three levels: the principle of resemblance is rooted in mythic thought rather than confined to classical epistemes; Foucault’s critique of dialectical time overlooks historical continuity; and his hermeneutic perspective tends toward radical relativism. Ultimately, the article reinterprets Foucault’s ideas on temporality as a dynamic and interwoven structure. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionIn the tradition of Western thought, the relation between sign and meaning has always been a central issue in the philosophy of language. From Plato’s theory of forms to Saussurian structuralism, meaning gradually moved beyond an intrinsic matter to a conventional one. Through his definition of the signifier and the signified, Saussure formulated a static model. Peirce, on the other hand, through his triadic model, revived the role of interpretation and reference, and paved the way for an exegesis of meaning. Hjelmslev also divided the structure of language into levels of expression and content, and proposed the possibility of “inexpressible thinking.” By formulating the so-called imperfections, theorists such as Greimas argued that meaning is an aesthetic matter, and the result of the subject’s action in a cultural context. In this regard, meaning can no longer be reduced to simple dichotomies, such as intense/moderate, but is formed in the context of semantic discontinuities. Echoing a genealogical approach, Foucault identifies three modes of temporality in relation to the sign and interpretation: the temporality of expiration in the classical sign system, linear temporality in Marxist dialectics, and cyclical temporality in modern hermeneutics. The present study explores Foucault’s stance toward modern hermeneutics—which presupposes the primacy of interpretation over the sign—and examines the endless deferral of meaning, the impossibility of reaching a fixed origin, and the entangled relationship between interiority and exteriority as foundational components of modern thought.2. MethodologyInformed by Foucault’s genealogy and critical discourse analysis, the present study examines the complex and intertwined relationship between the sign and meaning within the sphere of modern philosophy. Through a historico-conceptual analysis of signs and discursive formations, this article also attempts to identify power relations, the course of meaning transformation, and hidden layers of interpretation in psychological, social, and economic contexts.3. Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical framework of this study is informed by Michel Foucault’s genealogical reading of the sign. By analyzing epistemological breaks, Foucault explains that signs move beyond a sixteenth-century similarity-based and benevolent structure to a malevolent, fluid, and powerful structure in the modern era. In this transition, the meaning of the sign is formed not in an intrinsic depth, but at the extrinsic levels of historical, psychological, and economic relations. For Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx, interpretation is not the attainment of a final truth, but rather an endless and historical process of unfolding and reproducing meaning.4. Discussion and AnalysisThe findings of this study indicate that despite its potentials to explain the fluid and discrete process of meaning, Foucault’s theory has shortcomings in understanding narrative, cultural, and memory permanence. The critical analysis shows that, contrary to Foucault’s assumption, cognitive principles, such as similarity and proximity, have roots not only in the classical era but also in mythological, poetic, and ritual structures, all of which lead to similar cognitive errors. Echoing the works of Frazer, Ricoeur, Habermas, and Gadamer, the researcher argues that although signs undergo erosion of meaning in the context of history, they have the ability to be reproduced in interpretive cycles, cultural narratives, collective memory, and communicative agreements. The research indicates that Foucault’s temporal triad is not three conflicting paths, but rather three intertwined and dynamic forces that, in interaction with each other, shape the context of symbolic representations in the history of thought and discourse.5. ConclusionThrough a conceptual and comparative analysis of the ideas of Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx, the author identified three distinct temporalities in the functioning of signs and mechanisms of interpretation: the temporality of expiration in the classical sign system, linear temporality in Marxist dialectics, and cyclical temporality in modern hermeneutics. While acknowledging the innovation in Foucault’s tripartite temporality, this article argues for its revision on three levels: the principle of resemblance is rooted in mythic thought rather than confined to classical epistemes; Foucault’s critique of dialectical time overlooks historical continuity; and his hermeneutic perspective tends toward radical relativism.BibliographyAlgooneh Juneghani, Masoud. 1396 [2017]. “Nortrop Frye va Radeh-bandi-e Sambol-hā. Naghd-e Adabi. 40 (10): 7-39. [In Persian].Algooneh Juneghani, Masoud. 2018. “Interpretant, Pure Rhetoric, and Semiotics of Poetry.” Semiotica, 222: 163-179. [In English].Foucault, Michel. 1966. Les Mots et Les Choses. Paris: Gallimard. [In French].Foucault, Michel. 1970. Nietzsche, Freud, Marx. Paris: Gallimard. [In French].Foucault, Michel. 2005. The Order of Things: An Archeology of the Human Sciences. NP: Routledge.Mehregan, Arvin. 1390 [2011]. Ro’yā, āein, Ostooreh: Gooneh-hā-e Tafsir-e Vāghei’at dar Kherad-e Qarizi. Isfehan: Farda. [In Persian].Ricoeur, Paul. 2016. Hermeneutics and the Human Sciences. J. B., Thompson (trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge Uni Press. [In English]. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9049.html The “ideological square model” is one of Van Dijk’s innovations in the field of critical discourse analysis. According to this model, power institutions, as so-called self-groups, employ four principles to conceal the truth and impose ideology: positive self-advertisement, propaganda regarding the other group, de-emphasizing the negative attributes of the self, and de-emphasizing the positive attributes of the other. Informed by Van Dijk’s analytical model (at three levels: semantic, linguistic, and action), the present study investigates the tale of Khosrow Parviz and Bahram-e Chowbin in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. The results of this study show that the power group (Khosrow) incorporates techniques such as analogy, fallacy, evasion and ambiguity, exaggeration and dramatisation, metaphorisation, deception, self-advertisement, and propaganda. As a representative of the power group, Khosrow, echoing elements of ideological domination such as race, religion, and hereditary kingship, highlights his silver linings and denies his mistakes. On the other hand, he downgrades Bahram by highlighting his shortcomings. The present study argues that the main compilers of this narrative have tried to tip the scales in his and the power group’s favor in various ways, such as highlighting Bahram’s negative traits, downplaying Khosrow’s mistakes, and allocating more time to Khosrow during the debate. Ferdowsi, as a later narrator of this story, sides with the main compilers. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionOne can employ critical discourse analysis to uncover concealed truths. According to discourse analysis, ideology is a set of false beliefs and propaganda promoted by the dominant group. Critical discourse analysis, meanwhile, aims to uncover the truth, so that by textual analysis, these false beliefs can be brought to lights and publicised. In the same light, the “ideological square,” coined by Van Dijke, aims to strategically recognise the implicit ideology in the text and uncover the truth. Informed by Van Dijke’s theory, the present study aims to investigate one of the canonical tales in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, namely, “Bahram-e Chowbin and Khosrow Parviz.” In this tale, a long conversation (304 verses) between Bahram and Khosrow precedes their battle. Echoing Van Dijk’s ideological square, the present study seeks to answer the following question: What techniques do the insider group (Khosrow and his associates) use to impose their ideology on the other group (Bahram and his associates), and what intentions in both sides are exposed?2. MethodologyInformed by Van Dijk’s theories, this descriptive-analytical study examines the dialogue between Khosrow and Bahram and examines its components.3. Theoretical FrameworkTo identify the concealed ideologies and recover the truth, Van Dijk suggests analysing texts at different levels, such as meaning and content, formal structure, sentence syntax, rhetoric, and action and interaction, all of which can be analysed in three main categories: semantic-content level, linguistic-structural level, and finally behavioral-action level. The first level examines issues such as evasion, ambiguity, and fallacy; the second level explores rhetorical devices such as metaphor, hyperbole, and euphemism; and the third level investigates behaviors and emotions of the power group, such as threats, ridicule, and physical gestures. Semantic, linguistic, and behavioral arrangements are a prelude to the “ideological square.” In fact, by employing these tools, the power group seeks to achieve these four goals: positive self-advertisement, propaganda distribution of the other group, de-emphasizing the negative attributes of the self, and de-emphasizing the positive attributes of the other. Accordingly, in the discourse of power, by polarizing society and creating a distance between loyalists and opponents, the authority tries to highlight all the positive points about itself and hide its weaknesses. On the other hand, by expressing the negative points of the opposing group and downplaying their positive points, it tries to manipulate public opinion.4. Discussion and AnalysisAs a representative of the power group, Khosrow, echoing elements of ideological domination such as race, religion, and hereditary kingship, highlights his silver linings and denies his mistakes. On the other hand, he downgrades Bahram by highlighting his shortcomings and presenting him as an ingrate toward the Sassanid dynasty.5. ConclusionThe results of this study show that in his debate with Bahram, Khosrow employs hegemony, domination, race, religion, and hereditary kingship to hide his own weakness and downgrade Bahram’s merits. The present study suggests that the main compilers of this narrative have tried to tip the scales in his and the power group’s favor in various ways, such as highlighting Bahram’s negative traits, downplaying Khosrow’s mistakes, and allocating more time to Khosrow during the debate. Ferdowsi, as a later narrator of this story, sides with the main compilers.BibliographyFerdowsi, Abolqasem. 1382 [2003]. Shāhnāmeh (Chāp-e Moscow). Tehran: Qatreh. [In Persian].Shahri, Bahman. 1391 [2012]. “Peyvand-e Miān-e Este’āreh va Ideology.” Naqd-e Adabi. 5 (19): 59-76. [In Persian].Shamisa, Sirous. 1397 [2018]. Shāh-e Nāmeh-hā. Tehran: Hermes. [In Persian].Tabari, Mohammad bin Jarir. 1375 [1996]. Tārikh-e Tabari. Abolqasem, P (trans.). Tehran: Asatir. [In Persian].Van Dijk, Teun Adrianus. 1993. “Principles of Critical Discourse Analysis.” Discourse and Society Journal. Vol. 4 (2): 249-283. [In English].Van Dijk, Teun Adrianus. 1998. Ideology. London: Sage Pub. [In English].Van Dijk, Teun Adrianus. 2003. “Discourse, Power, and Access.” In Rosa, C et.al. Texts and Practices. London: Routledge. 84-107. [In English].Van Dijk, Teun Adrianus. 2009. Society and Discourse. New York: Cambridge University Press. [In English].Van Dijk, Teun Adrianus. 1394 [2015]. Ideology va Goftemān. Mohsen, N (trans.). Tehran: Siyahrood. [In Persian].  https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9065.html Postmodern novels disrupt classical narrative conventions by constructing “unnatural worlds” that challenge conventional notions of time, causality, and identity. These narrative strategies not only expand formal possibilities but also raise fundamental questions about embodiment, perception, and power relations. This study employs a three-layered analytical framework for understanding such worlds, which consists of “unnatural world-building,” “embodied experience,” and “biopolitics and posthumanism.” The research employs an analytical-qualitative and textual approach and examines ten representative novels by both Iranian and Western authors. Findings reveal three major types of unnatural worlds: echoic worlds, body-centered worlds, and textual-architectural worlds. Across all types, the body functions simultaneously as a medium of perception and as a site of power, while sensory materiality plays a crucial role in sustaining narrative coherence and credibility. The study concludes that postmodern narratives cannot be fully understood without addressing the interplay of embodiment and biopolitics. Beyond its theoretical contribution, the proposed framework offers practical applications for comparative literary studies, academic teaching, and the analysis of digital or multimodal narratives. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionDue to their disruption of classical narrative rules and creation of new forms, Postmodern novels play an important role in the history of contemporary literature. One of the most prominent manifestations of these innovations is the emergence of “unnatural worlds,” in which the natural laws of narrative, including causality, linear time, and identity, collapse and, through this rupture, a different experience of reality is exposed to the reader. The importance of this phenomenon extends beyond the formal and aesthetic level and has broad epistemological, social, and philosophical implications, as these worlds raise fundamental questions about the body, perception, and power. However, previous studies have often examined only one of the dimensions mentioned above and have rarely addressed the triple nexus of world-building, embodiment, and biopolitics. Aiming to fill this gap, the present study presents a three-layered framework for analysing postmodern novels, which considers these three levels simultaneously and allows for a multidimensional examination of unnatural worlds.2. MethodologyThe present research employs an analytical-qualitative and textual approach and examines ten representative novels by both Iranian and Western authors. These works include: The Blind Owl (Sadegh Hedayat, 1315 [1936]), Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka, 1915), Blindness (José Saramago, 1995), House of Leaves (Mark Danielewski, 2000), Pale Fire (Vladimir Nabokov, 1962), Hopscotch (Julio Cortázar, 1963), If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler (Italo Calvino, 1979), The Crying of Lot 49 (Thomas Pynchon, 1966), White Noise (Don DeLillo, 1985), and Khāneh-ye Edrissi-hā (Ghazaleh Alizadeh, 1370 [1991]).3. Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical framework of this research is informed by three theoretical domains:Unnatural Narratology: the study of techniques that violate the rules of narrative and through which alternative worlds emergePhenomenology of the Body: attention to the body as a medium of perception and an active agent in the production of meaning, inspired by Merleau-Ponty and contemporary reinterpretationsPosthumanism and Biopolitics: focusing on the body as a propitious platform of power, control, and the redefinition of subjectivity in the context of technology and social relations, echoing the ideas of Foucault and Deleuze/GuattariIn this regard, a three-layered model is formed:Unnatural World-building: processes that break narrative rules and create new structuresEmbodied Experience: the role of the body and senses in understanding and organizing non-natural worldsPosthumanism and Biopolitics: power relations and body control in these worldsThe two analytical axes of “scale” (from individual to collective and network levels) and “sensory materiality” (sound, image, space, and smell) link these three layers together.4. Discussion and Analysis Findings reveal three major types of unnatural worlds:Echoic Worlds, which rely on repetition, reflection, and the rupture of time. Hedayat’s The Blind Owl and Cortázar’s Hopscotch, with their repetitive and uncentered structure, are examples of these worlds.Body-centered Worlds, in which the body and sensory experiences are the foundations of the narrative. In Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the sudden transformation of the main character’s body into an insect determines the structure of the story’s world, and in Saramago’s Blindness, collective blindness creates a simultaneous physical and social experience.Textual-architectural Worlds, in which the materiality of writing and page layout is the main factor in world-building. Danielewski’s House of Leaves and Nabokov’s Pale Fire are prominent examples of this category.A review of these works reveals that the biopolitical layer is prominent in most of the texts. In Blindness, quarantine and government surveillance of bodies are evident; in The Blind Owl, the body becomes a consumerist object and a commodity and in Hopscotch, the body is exposed to the dangers of technology and networked data. Similarly, Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 depicts the world as a complex network, in which individual subjectivity collapses under the pressure of communication systems.Furthermore, the analysis of the sensory dimension of the texts shows that sound, space, and smell play a fundamental role in creating the believability of unnatural worlds; for example, in The Crying of Lot 49, sound and musical elements are key factors in understanding the hidden networks of the narrative, and in The House of Leaves, the dark and endless architecture of the house creates a physical and frightening experience for the reader. The study of the ‘scale’ also shows that individual experience always finds meaning in connection with collective or network structures; for instance, in Blindness, blindness goes beyond a personal crisis and reflects the collapse of the social order.5. ConclusionThe present study concludes that the three-layer framework of unnatural worlds can be an effective tool in analysing postmodern novels. By classifying the types of world-building types and linking them to embodied experiences and power mechanisms, this model allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the literary text. From a practical point of view, the proposed framework can be used in comparative studies, academic teaching of contemporary literature, and analysis of digital and multimedia narratives. Since the research is limited to the selected works, it is suggested that this framework be explored in the fields of cinema, theater, and digital literature in future research.BibliographyPynchon, T. 1398 [2019]. E'lān-e Qer'eh-ye 49. Āyati, T. (trans.). Tehran: Cheshmeh. [In Persian].       [The Crying of Lot 49].Daniali, A. and Esmaeili, M. 1403 [2024]. "Zist-siyāsat-e Modern: Foucault be Kāfkā (Motāle'eh-ye Moruri: Romān-e Mohākemeh)". Motāle'āt-e Tatbiqi-e Adabiyāt, 17 (1): 73–90. [In Persian].DeLillo, D. 1390 [2011]. Sar-sedā-ye Sefid. Ra'isi, M. (trans.). Tehran: Ruzegār. [In Persian].               [White Noise].Rouhi, Z. 1400 [2021]. Tārikh-e Farhangi-e Badan va Badanmandi dar Irān-e 'Asr-e Jadid. Tehran: Ensānshenāsi. [In Persian].Zarqani, M. 1400 [2021]. Tārikh-e Badan dar Adabiyāt. Tehran: Sokhan. [In Persian].Saramago, J. 1378 [1999]. Kuri. Meshkini, M. (trans.). Tehran: 'Elm. [In Persian].[Blindness].Alizadeh, Gh. 1376 [1997]. Khāneh-ye Ederisi-hā. Tehran: Tous. [In Persian].Foucault, M. 1383 [2004]. Erādeh be Dānestan. Sarkhosh, N. and Jahāndideh, A. (trans.). Tehran: Ney. [In Persian].              [The Will to Knowledge].Ghāsemi-pur, Gh.; Jukār, M. and Sorābi, N. 1403 [2024]. "Barrasi-ye Ravāyat-e Gheyre-tabi'i dar Dāstān-hā-ye Kutāh-e Surreālisti-ye Abutorāb-e Khusru'i". Ravāyatshenāsi, 16: 345–390. [In Persian].Kafka, F. 1396 [2017]. Masakh. Haddād, A. (trans.). Tehran: Māhi. [In Persian].[The Metamorphosis].Calvino, I. 1380 [2001]. Agar Shabi az Shabhā-ye Zemestān-e Mosāferi. Golstān, L. (trans.). Tehran: Āgāh. [In Persian].         [If on a Winter's Night a Traveler].Nabokov, V. 1395 [2016]. Ātash-e Kam-forug. Khusru'i, B. (trans.). Tehran: Nasl-e Novāndish. [In Persian].             [Pale Fire].Hedayat, S. 1315 [1936]. Buf-e Kur. Tehran: Nimā. [In Persian].      [The Blind Owl] https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9127.html This article investigates MohammadReza Kateb’s Vaqt-e Taqsir through Frank Kermode’s theory of fiction, focusing on his differentiation between Chronos—linear, meaningless, repetitive time—and Kairos—moments of crisis and significance. Kermode argues that humans create coherent narratives to impose order on temporal chaos, granting life structure, meaning, and identity. In the contemporary world, particularly under conditions of perpetual violence and structural crisis, this meaning-making is severely undermined. Vaqt-e Taqsir exemplifies such a world, in which characters and narratives remain suspended in fragmented states without clear beginnings or endings. Torture and suffering, stripped of transformative potential, become part of an endless, meaningless cycle. The government enforces a paradigm of permanent crisis, systematically erasing kairotic moments and trapping characters in interminable Chronos. This analysis reveals how the collapse of narrative and identity shapes both the novel’s structure and the existential reality of its characters. In this world, they fail to craft meaningful self-narratives, remaining imprisoned within cycles of suffering and futility. The depiction of Nasnas—hybrid, half-human figures—and identities in constant flux embodies an apocalyptic and postmodern paradigm with no hope for renewal or conclusion. Ultimately, Vaqt-e Taqsir uses its dismantling of narrative and perpetual suspension of meaning to stage a radical critique of the contemporary human condition. By portraying a society in which meaning-making is impossible and crisis is normalized, Kateb’s novel transforms literature into a lens for examining and challenging the instability, fragmentation, and chronic crises of our age. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionFrank Kermode's seminal work, titled The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction (1967), holds a unique place in contemporary literary criticism. It offers a profound reflection on the connection between narrative form and the human experience of temporality. Informed by philosophical, theological, psychological, and historical insights, Kermode argues that humans require imaginary correlations between beginnings and endings to give meaning to life, which is always “in the middle.” By distinguishing between the two fundamental aspects of time, namely, Chronos—linear, meaningless, repetitive time—and Kairos—moments of crisis and significance, he introduces the narrative process as a meaning-making process, which transforms a sequence of aimless events into a purposeful pattern. However, in the contemporary world, where crisis, instability, and endless repetition have become mundane experiences, the ability to create narratives faces serious challenges. With its dystopian setting and characters caught in a cycle of torture, crisis, and lack of coherent narrative, Mohammadreza Kateb’s Vaqt-e Taqsir is a prime example of such a situation. It critiques the possibility of giving meaning to human experiences in a situation where the government, through imposing structural violence and permanent crisis, not only deprives the subject of the possibility of resistance and change, but also of the ability to create Kairos.2. MethodologyThe present study adopts a qualitative approach and a critical content analysis method. It explains the important notions of Kermode’s narrative theory, including the chronos/kairos distinction, the “tick-tock” paradigm, the apocalyptic structure, and the necessity of narrative transformation. Then, it investigates Vaqt-e Taqsir, focusing on temporal, structural, and identity elements, to reveal its points of agreement or conflict with Kermode’s narrative framework. Lastly, it conducts a comparative analysis on five main axes, in accordance with the correlation between theoretical concepts and fictional counterparts.3. Theoretical FrameworkThis analysis is organised around the distinction between Chronos and Kairos. Kermode redefines the Greek concepts of Chronos and Kairos as two types of time experiences in a narrative. Kermode argues that humans require imaginary correlations between beginnings and endings to give meaning to life, which is always “in the middle.” By distinguishing between the two fundamental aspects of time, namely Chronos—linear, meaningless, repetitive time—and Kairos—moments of crisis and significance, he introduces the narrative process as a meaning-making process, which transforms a sequence of aimless events into a purposeful pattern. In Kermode’s theory, the “tick-tock” paradigm is a simple but powerful symbol of human mental activity in constructing a story. Although a clock beats the same, we hear a “tick” and a “tock,” thus creating a beginning and an end to time. In literature, this transformation of monotonous beats into a meaningful pattern is the narrative process. Kermode also highlights the presence of the “apocalyptic pattern” in Western literature, a pattern that depicts history with a bright beginning, a tense middle, and a redemptive end. Even in secular narratives, this structure remains symbolic. However, in modernity, many writers disrupt the pattern and turn the crisis into a permanent situation. These concepts, when combined with postmodern theories of disbelief in metanarratives (Lyotard), narrative fragmentation, and the instability of identity, provide a propitious platform for analyzing texts like Vaqt-e Taqsir – texts that not only disrupt the classical structure of narrative but also forbid the creation of kairos from the outset.4. Discussion and AnalysisVaqt-e Taqsir is a prime example of the gap between Chronos and Kairos in the postmodern world. In the novel, the characters live in a constant state of “in-between”; neither an initial narrative dominates their existence, nor is a liberating end visible on the horizon. The novel’s form also mirrors this situation: the narratives are scattered, incomplete, and inconsistent, and no single timeline connects all the events. “Hayat” constantly creates contradictory narratives about himself: one day, he calls himself the embodiment of opium; the next day, a soulless corpse; one day, a Nasnas; and the next day, the embodiment of destiny. Each time, a beginning and an end are imagined in the narrative, but these endings are not real moments of crisis, and their instability prevents Kairos from overcoming Chronos. The state, by designing a “paradigm of permanent crisis,” virtually destroys all possibilities for creating Kairos. Violence is not a means of creating resistance, but a mechanism for the continuation of authority, or a tool that strengthens Chronos and suffocates Kairos. The opponents’ bodies become commodities for trade, and the spectacle of torture becomes public entertainment. This conscious design keeps the characters in an endless cycle of imposed reality. The concept of “Nasnas” symbolises the collapse of the narrative. Nasnases are patched-up beings with no past, whose speech, like their lives, has no beginning or end. From Kermode’s perspective, this lack of beginning means that the end becomes impossible, and the world becomes a perpetual purgatory. From a postmodernist worldview, Vaqt-e Taqsir embodies a radical distrust of grand narratives. As Lyotard argues, metanarratives have been delegitimized. The novel also shows that any attempt to revive mythic patterns is in vain. Even the classic pattern of “the tyrannical rule – the resistance – the final victory” doesn’t work here. The novel is a transition of transitions; moments wait for change, but they never do.5. ConclusionInformed by postmodernist narrative strategies and dystopian space, the present study shows that Vaqt-e Taqsir creates a world and characters who live in a state of suspense and instability. Kermode’s theoretical framework, especially the concepts of Chronos, Kairos, and apocalypse, provides a propitious platform for understanding this narrative structure. In this work, time has become a perpetual cycle of crisis, torture, and the collapse of identity, and any possibility of a meaningful Kairos moment has disappeared. By imposing a permanent crisis, the state reduces identity to a precarious and rootless state, actively removing the end and the beginning from the cycle of life. This situation represents one of the most fundamental crises of the contemporary world: the loss of the ability to narrate as a means of meaning-making.BibliographyAbrams, M. H. 1971. Natural Supernaturalism: Tradition and Revolution in Romantic Literature. New York: W. W. Norton.Auerbach, E. 2003. Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. Willard, R. T (trans.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.Barthes, R. 1970. S/Z. Richard, M (trans.). New York: Hill and Wang.Bhabha, H. 1994. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge.Brooks, P. 1984. Reading for the Plot: Design and Intention in Narrative. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Bull, M. 1995. Seeing Things Hidden: Apocalyps, Vision, and Totality. New York: Verso.Caruth, C. 1996. Unclaimed Experience: Trauma, Narrative, and History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.Culler, J. 1981. The Pursuit of Signs: Semiotics, Literature, Deconstruction. New York: Cornell University Press.Kateb, M. 1389 [2010]. Vaqt-e Taqsir. Tehran: Niloufar. [In Persian].Kermode, F. 1967. The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9078.html The complexity of modern human life and its ramifications in art and literature have forced literary theorists and critics to invent new and efficient methods of analysis. Meanwhile, Deleuze and Guattari’s “rhizomatic theory” and its associated concepts, such as becoming, body without organs, territorialization and de-territorialization, fluidity of meaning, machine of desire, and so forth, have been utilized by researchers in different fields of study. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, the present research attempts a rhizomatic reading of Forough Farrokhzad’s poem, titled “Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season,” to clarify how a rhizomatic reading can identify and analyse nonlinear connections and possible meanings as well as dynamic identity and social processes in the poem. This study concludes that it is through nonlinear imagery and multiple themes that the poet represents a rhizomatic network of multifaceted meanings in which identity and desire are produced in a flexible and de-centred manner. This structure aligns with Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the body without organs. Through minority literature and becoming, Farrokhzad seeks to discover and construct feminine social identity. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionThe collaboration of Gilles Deleuze, the French poststructuralist philosopher, with Felix Guattari, a psychoanalyst and political theorist, introduced new concepts in the fields of philosophy, psychology, and social criticism. In this collaboration, Deleuze significantly deepens Guattari’s anti-psychiatry position by situating it within an alternative philosophical tradition including Nietzsche, Spinoza, and Bergson (instead of Plato, Descartes, and Hegel). On the other hand, Guattari dramatically extends Deleuze’s philosophical perspective by linking theoretical and institutional struggles in French psychoanalysis and psychiatry to political campaigns in student and labor movements in Europe. Informed by concepts such as rhizome, body without limbs, and becoming, they were able to move beyond linear frameworks and analyse phenomena from multiple perspectives. One can employ Deleuze and Guattari’s key concepts to analyse literary texts and uncover new meanings. These concepts go beyond traditional interpretations and provide a dynamic reading of literary texts, for a rhizome continuously links semiotic chains, power structures, and states of science, art, and social struggle (Deleuze and Guattari, 2005: 8).Reflecting the complexities of the modern man, contemporary poetry provides a rich platform for a rhizomatic reading and the discovery of new layers of the text, both on literary and social levels. Rhizomatic reading is a method of analysing texts or phenomena which avoids linear and hierarchical structures and emphasises multidirectional and unpredictable connections.Forough Farrokhzad is a prominent poet whose bold language and unprecedented imagery challenged gender, existential, and social experiences, turning her poetry into a space for redefining identity and resistance. Hence, a rhizomatic reading of her poetry allows for the discovery of unexpected connections between themes, images, and desires.2. MethodologyThis article conducts a theoretical research which is informed by Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts. It adopts a descriptive-analytical method to provide a rhizomatic reading of Farrokhzad’s “Let’s Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season.” It also analyses the manifestations of identity and social dynamics by recognising the nonlinear connections and fluid meanings contained within the poem.3. Theoretical FrameworkDeleuze and Guattari list six principles to introduce the rhizome: connection, heterogeneity, plurality, non-significant rupture, cartography, and decalcomania or complete transference (Deleuze & Guattari, 2005: 7-10). They argue that intensity is the driving force behind the horizontal rhizomatic linkages, which directs the flow of energy, differences, and transformations in a rhizomatic system. Intensity is a fluid quality that plays a key role in the processes of “Becoming.”By avoiding centrality and hierarchy, rhizome provides a space in which the limbless body can break free from fixed territories (deterritorialisation) and create unprecedented and unexpected connections. This structure, with its fluid and multiple nature, allows the body without limbs to function as a surface of free intensities and connections, where differences and processes of “becoming” flow freely in prefabricated forms. The connection between these two concepts lies in their ability to challenge hegemonic systems and foster dynamism, which leads to the creation of new possibilities in social, cultural, and biological relations.“Minor Literature” and “Minor Language” are other related concepts which refer to discourses that are on the margins of dominant cultural and linguistic system. They, according to Deleuze and Guattari, have three key characteristics. This structure, with unexpected ruptures and connections, provides a space for the flow of intensities that emerge through differences and heterogeneities. Its driving force is the force of desire, which is produced by the desiring-machine.4. Discussion and AnalysisPerhaps the entire poem can be defined as a Deleuzian social machine, which through challenging the continuity of traditional and patriarchal order and common thinking, invites the reader to redefine conventional structures. The lines of escape that create territory in this poem, such as “I am naked, I am naked, I am naked,” in effect challenge conventionally imposed coverings and emotions and such consequences as shame, guilt, and the desire to undermine traditions. Also, the representation of a body without limbs that has become a space without territory, acts as a centre of zero intensity, marking the readiness for the passage of intensities and forces. This is a process which involves the subject in becoming, emergences and falls, and displacements (Deleuze & Guattari, 1983: 84). A body without limbs is what remains when you have taken everything from it; in other words, a body without limbs is desire, and desire extends to this point: the desire for self-destruction, or the desire for the power of destruction.Desire is the process by which the subject and the object merge to create reality. In poetry, this concept can be traced in the emergence of language as a flow of pure intensities and the inevitable relationships between words, images, and emotions. For example, one of the functions of repetition in the poem is to create a machine of desire. The repetitions of “time has passed” and “I am cold” are not simple emphases, but cycles of intensity that advance the process of “becoming” by continuously adding a layer. These repetitions act like separate temporal rhizomes; they constantly break linear time and instead of progressing, create static loops that become more intense each time.5. ConclusionInformed by a rhizomatic reading of Farrokhzad’s “Let's Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season,” we can identify the fluid relationships among the narrator, society, nature, love, and death as key notions in the polycentricity of the rhizome in a nonlinear path. Also, we can consider the de-territorialised boundaries of the narrator’s female identity, along with the endless possibilities of meaning that the poet uses to territorialise her thoughts; examples include common social and religious beliefs as nodes of intensity.The poet’s identitical efforts are machines of desire which build a minor-literature that denigrates common beliefs about love, social relationships, and life, and reconstructs her lost and confused identity. Therefore, in this poem, love, death, and nature display a fluid and multifaceted meaning rather than traditional one-dimensional meanings. Its lines of escape, from a Deleuzean view, form a rhizome of resistance which seeks to subvert social hierarchies.BibliographyBryden, M. 2007. Gilles Deleuze: Travels in Literature. New York: Palgrave Mcmillan.Colebrook, C and Ian, B. 2000. Deleuze and Feminist Theory. Edinburgh: Edinburg University Press.Deleuze, G and Felix, G. 1983. Anti-Oedipus Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.Deleuze, G. 1990. The Logic of Sense. New York: Columbia University Press.Deleuze, G and Felix, G. 2005. A Thousand Plateaus Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.Deleuze, G. 1389 [2010]. Mārcel Proust va Neshāneh-hā. Shokr-Allah, A (trans.). Tehran: Elm. [In Persian].               [Proust and Signs].Deleuze, G and Felix, G. 1392 [2013]. Kāfkā: Be Sooye Adabiyāt-e Aqa’li’at. Hossein, N (trans.). Tehran: Bidgol. [In Persian].        [Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature].Farrokhzad, F. 1382 [2003]. Majmooeh-e Ash’ār. Tehran: Negah. [In Persian]. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9152.html Golshiri has repeatedly emphasised that the most important aspect of writing a story, for him, is the choice of suitable language—particularly, selecting the appropriate language for the narrator. In a successful narrative, language and narrative elements interact closely to create an effective and coherent experience for the reader. Therefore, identifying the linguistic features of a story is a crucial step in its narratological analysis. This becomes especially important when examining the works of authors like Golshiri, who engage consciously with language and experiment with various linguistic techniques. By analysing the language of his short story, titled “Portrait of an Innocent: 1,” this study aims to answer the following question: To what extent does the language of this story serve its narrative function? Although various researchers have analysed Golshiri’s works, a linguistic analysis has been largely neglected in these studies. This is notable given that Golshiri considered the most practical way to critique a story to be through an examination of the author’s use of language. The most significant narratological element in “Portrait of an Innocent: 1” is the homodiegetic narrator, who is also the focalised character. This study explores how unreliability, narrative breaks, contradictions, and subjective or fictitious interpretations frequently appear in the narrator’s speech, and how language plays a key role in conveying these features. The results show that Golshiri employs three major grammatical categories—evidentiality, modality, and focus marking—throughout the story. Examples of these categories are presented and analysed in the article to demonstrate how they function in constructing an unreliable narrative voice, which signals narrative breaks and shapes the contrastive identity of the narrator. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionGolshiri has repeatedly emphasised that the most important aspect of writing a story, for him, is the choice of suitable language—particularly, an appropriate language for the narrator. In a suitable narrative, language and narrative elements interact closely to create an effective and coherent experience for the reader. Therefore, identifying the linguistic features of a story is a crucial step in alaysing its narratological quality. This becomes especially important when examining the works of authors like Golshiri, who consciously deliberate on language and experiment with various linguistic techniques. By analysing the language of his short story, titled “Portrait of an Innocent: 1,” this study aims to answer the following question: To what extent does the language of this story reveal its narrative function? Although various researchers have analysed Golshiri’s works, no linguistic analysis has ever been conducted. Ironically, Golshiri believed that the most practical way of criticising a story is an examination of the author’s use of language.2. MethodologyTo examine the role of language in the narrative, we have selected a short story from Golshiri’s collection of stories, in which language is used in a seemingly completely natural and automatic manner, and at first glance, no particular linguistic feature stands out. Upon closer examination, however, it becomes clear that the role of linguistic features in constructing the narrative elements in this story is quite prominent. The most important narrative element in the story is the homodiegetic narrator, who is also the focal character of the story. This study explores how unreliability, narrative breaks, contradictions, and subjective or fictitious interpretations frequently appear in the narrator’s speech, and how language plays a key role in conveying these features. In this regard, we have carefully examined the story and extracted and classified the examples of some grammatical features which serve to construct the narrator’s voice. We have conducted this research by employing a descriptive-analytical method.3. Theoretical FrameworkGolshiri considers linguistic techniques to be the most important tool of a storyteller. This study is organized around Golshiri’s theoretical views on the role of language in creating a narrative. He directly addresses the role of language in character development, the construction of the narrator’s voice, the coherence of the narrative, and the creation of style. In accordance with these perspectives, and informed by the linguistic descriptions of the three categories of evidentiality, modality, and focus marking, we have examined the role of these grammatical categories in the construction of the narrator’s voice. We have also drawn on narratological concepts, such as types of narrators (especially the unreliable narrator) and types of focalization (Genette’s perspective).4. Discussion and AnalysisThe present study investigates a number of linguistic features, which serve to create the narrator’s contrasting voice. The narrator of the story is a village schoolteacher who writes letters to his brother. The narrator refers to himself throughout the narrative, uses the first-person pronoun for himself, and, in several instances, inserts his personal views in the story. Although the narrator tries to distance himself from the story and present himself as a neutral narrator, who is simply reporting the events to his brother, the implicit layers of the story convey the opposite to the reader. Since the narrative unfolds in the form of an epistolary story, the writer of the letters (the narrator) narrates all the actions through his mediation, without actually allowing the direct presence of anyone or anything in the story. The reader sees and hears all the actions from the narrator’s point of view. Despite his apparent insistence on an impartial narrative, the narrator constantly distorts and interprets events, blending his own perspective with the events and statements of others, which takes place through specific linguistic devices (evidentiality, modality, and focus marking). These elements create a sense of doubt, contradiction, and ambiguity on the one hand, and uncover the narrator’s inner conflict on the other, all of which help the narrator’s unreliability become apparent throughout the story. Despite the reader’s suspicion regarding the narrator’s unreliability, the narrative unfolds in such a way that the reader, like the narrator, is captured in a whirlpool of rumors, superstitions, and horrifying fabricated events. In addition, despite the narrator’s dominance, intervention, and direct presence, there is no narrative distance, and the illusion of reality reaches its highest level.5. ConclusionThe results show that Golshiri employs three major grammatical categories—evidentiality, modality, and focus marking—throughout the story. Examples of these categories are presented and analyzed to demonstrate how they function to construct an unreliable narrative voice, signal narrative breaks, and shape the contrastive identity of the narrator.BibliographyAikhenvald, A. Y. 2004. Evidentiality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Gennette, G. 1400 [2021]. Goftemān-e Hekāyat. Azin, H (trans.). Tehran: Niloufar. [In Persian].                 [Discours Du Récit]Golshiri, H. 1388 [2009]. Bāgh dar Bāgh. Tehran: Niloufar. [In Persian].Golshiri, H.  1399 [2020]. Nimeh-ye Tārik-e Māh. Tehran: Niloufar. [In Persian].Hall, A. 2004. “The Meaning of But: A Procedural Reanalysis.” UCL Working Papers in Linguistics, 16 (1): 199-236.Palmer, F. R. 1986. Mood and Modality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9223.html Ferdinand de Saussure’s seminal ideas have exerted a significant influence on Persian literary criticism. This study aims to trace, evaluate, and critically examine the initiation, reception, and application of Saussurian theories within Persian critical discourse. To this end, all major books and articles published since the 1960s that present his concepts are systematically identified and reviewed. Approximately thirty representative studies that explicitly applied his framework are then analysed to assess their approaches, strengths, and limitations. The findings indicate that Saussure’s ideas first appeared in Persian scholarship in the 1960s through both original writings and translations. From the 2000s onward, with a broader understanding of his theoretical foundations, researchers increasingly engaged with his ideas across various fields, most notably through the concept of binary opposition. While these studies have advanced structuralist approaches in Persian criticism, they also exhibit recurring limitations, including the citation of theoretical discussions unrelated to the research topic, indifference toward existing scholarship, inconsistency between theory and text, excessive focus on the origins of oppositions rather than their functional dynamics, translation deficiencies, theoretical imposition, and identity reduction. Each of these issues is analysed and discussed in detail within the article. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionBy founding modern linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) laid the foundation of Structuralism. Structuralism is an approach that seeks meaning not in individual elements but in the relationships among these elements. This important perspective led to a broad methodological transcendence in literary theory and criticism, which, in turn, influenced thinkers such as Jakobsen, Lévi-Strauss, Barthes, Foucault, and Todoroff. Although efforts have been made to understand and convey the foundations of Saussure’s theory in Persian language and literature, the basic principles of his thought have not been properly understood and explained, leading to superficial understandings of his theory and its related concepts. Influenced by traditional Persian literary criticism, Iranian researchers have often formed hasty and superficial confrontations with such views. Adopting a critical and pathological approach, the present article outlines the emergence and application of de Saussure’s ideas in Persian criticism and highlights their advantages and disadvantages, all of which, in turn, provide the basis for a more accurate understanding of de Saussure’s theory.2. MethodologyAdopting a descriptive-analytical approach, the present study examines Saussure’s emergence and role in Persian literary criticism. Through a systematic review of library resources and scientific databases, all works related to Saussure’s ideas from the 1960s to the present have been collected and classified. Then, about thirty articles related to the Persian language and literature are selected, evaluated, and examined. Lastly, the most frequent shortcomings in the application of his theory in Persian texts are identified and explained.3. Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical framework of this research is organized around a thorough understanding of de Saussure’s principles and theories. Saussure considers language as a system of signs and analyses meaning in the oppositions and structural relations of signs, highlighting his notion of opposition. In fact, from his point of view, language is a system of oppositions in which each element has a specific value that opposes other elements and values. In this system, there are two types of relationship: one between signs that are distinct and can be substituted for each other, and those between adjacent signs.4. Discussion and AnalysisFrom the 1960s, Saussurian notions, such as lang and parole, the semiotic system, and simultaneity and temporality, were introduced to Persian language and literature. The 1970s to 1990s witnessed the translation of independent books and the publication of articles that elaborated on Saussure’s ideas. Since the 2000s, translations and practical research, especially in the fields of dual opposition and semiotics, have expanded, grounding Saussure’s theories in Persian language and literature. In the 2010s and 2020s, Saussure’s linguistic theories have been compared with Western theorists and Persian thinkers. Of note here is how Saussure’s linguistic theories have been applied to Persian literary criticism. A systematic review shows that “binary opposition” has been the most frequent Saussurian theory in Persian language and literature. Many early articles in Persian criticism focused only on identifying and tracing oppositions and ignored their role in the formation of meaning, which, in turn, reduced their analysis to traditional or biographical interpretations. Other studies were also inconsistent with Saussure’s principles due to the imposition of theory on the text, the incompatibility of text and theory, and the incorrect translation of concepts. Furthermore, too much theoretical depth, while exemplary, confuses the reader. A systematic review of successful examples shows that when there is a balance between text and theory, a more profound understanding becomes feasible.5. ConclusionAlthough Saussurian readings of works in Persian language and literature have facilitated the understanding of the relationship between theory and text, disadvantages such as raising irrelevant theoretical issues, ignoring the literary qualities of a text, limitations that translation may pose, equating Western concepts with traditional rhetorical perspectives, lack of adherence to theory, and the incompatibility of text and theory are frequently observed. Nevertheless, after sixty years of effort, it can now be said that the necessary groundwork has been provided for a deeper understanding of Saussure’s principles and their correct application in Persian literary criticism.BibliographyBertens, J. W. 1394 [2015]. Mabāni-e Nazariyeh-e Adabi. Mohammadreza, A (trans.). Tehran: Mahi. [In Persian].               [Literary Theory]Bouissac, P. 1395 [2016]. Saussure: Rāhnamāei baraye Sargashtegān. MohammadAmin, Sh (trans.). Tehran: Yek Fekr. [In Persian].        [Saussure: A Guide for the Perplexed]Culler, J. 1380 [2001]. Ferdinand de Saussure. Kourosh, S (trans.). Tehran: Hermes. [In Persian].Eagleton, T. 1399 [2020]. Pish-Darāmdi bar Nazariyeh-e Adabi. Abbas, M (trans.). Tehran: Markaz. [In Persian].        [Literary Theory]Hawkes, T. 1394 [2015]. Sākht-Garāei va Neshāneh-Shenāsi. Mojtaba, P (trans.). Mashhad: Taraneh. [In Persian].        [Structuralism and Semiotics]Najafi, A. 1358 [1979]. Mabāni-e Zabān-Shenāsi va Kārbord-e ān dar Naqd-e Fārsi. Tehran: Daneshgah-e Azad Islami. [In Persian].Safavi, K. 1400 [2021]. Āshnāei ba Nazariyeh-hā-e Naqd-e Adabi. Tehran: Elmi. [In Persian].Samareh, Y. 1393 [2014]. Āvashenāsi-e Zabān-e Fārsi. Tehran: Daneshgahi. [In Persian].Scholes, R. 1379 [2000]. Darāmadi bar Sākhtār-garāei dar Adabiyāt. Farzaneh, T (trans.). Tehran: Agah. [In Persian].     [Structuralism in Literature] https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9373.html Many critics of subjectivism, who view subjectivity as self-grounding, attempt to decentre the subject by raising the issue of the “You” or the “Other.” In contrast, Husserl and Waldenfels, discussing the “homeworld” and the “alienworld,” aimed to transcend the self-grounding subject. In his project of intersubjective phenomenology, Waldenfels argues that what decentres the subject is the “alien.” The alien is experienced as something inherently incomprehensible and inaccessible, which creates a radical rupture in ordinary experience. Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a phenomenological approach, this research conducts a comparative study of the concept of the “alien” in the worldview of Berhnard Waldenfels and Islamic mysticism. Drawing on Waldenfels’ ideas, this article demonstrates how encounters with the alien in both intellectual traditions lead to a break from the homeworld and redefinition of identity. A case study of Attar’s “Sheikh San'an and the Christian maiden” (Sheikh San’an va Dokhtar-e Tarsa), in the light of Waldenfels’ phenomenological components (radical otherness, limit-experience, rupture, and responsivity), supports the hypothesis that Islamic mysticism, through a re-reading of rejected and banished elements (blasphemy, Satan, or wine), enables a constructive dialogue with radical otherness. The findings suggest that this process provides not only an epistemological mechanism but also an ethical framework for exploring cultural and religious differences in the contemporary world. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionThe issues of subjectivity and the self-groundedness of the subject are among the main issues of contemporary philosophy. Edmund Husserl, by introducing the concepts of “homeworld” and “alienworld” within the framework of intersubjective phenomenology, took a step towards negating self-groundedness. Expanding on this idea, German phenomenological philosopher Bernard Waldenfels argues that what truly dismantles the centrality of the self-grounded subject is not the “other” but the “alien.” The alien is experienced as something inherently incomprehensible and inaccessible, which creates a radical rupture in ordinary experience. Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a phenomenological approach, this research conducts a comparative study of the concept of the “alien” in the worldview of Berhnard Waldenfels and Islamic mysticism. The main questions of this study are: How does the alien in these two intellectual traditions lead to the decentring of the subject? And what capacities does Attar’s “Sheikh San’an” provide for the phenomenological analysis of encountering the alien? This study hypothesises that Islamic mysticism, through a re-reading of rejected and banished elements (blasphemy, Satan, and wine), enables a constructive dialogue with radical otherness.2. MethodologyInformed by Berhnard Waldenfels’ phenomenological components (radical otherness, limit-experience, rupture, and responsivity), this study employs a descriptive-analytical method with a phenomenological approach to conduct a comparative study of the concept of the “alien” in the worldview of Waldenfels and Islamic mysticism.3. Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical framework of this research is organized around Bernard Waldenfels’ ideas on the phenomenology of the alien. Echoing Husserl and critiquing his views, Waldenfels makes a fundamental distinction between the “other” and the “alien.” In his view, the “homeworld” is a closed, familiar, and meaningful system in which the subject feels a sense of belonging and control. This world maintains its closure by excluding everything that does not fit into it (the alien). The alien, on the other hand, is an element that is radically unfamiliar, unpredictable, and inaccessible. The alien, in turn, creates a “rupture,” breaking the continuity and coherence. Waldenfels’ phenomenological components include: Radical otherness, meaning that the alien is never fully understood or absorbed, and that this otherness is irreducible and responsivity, in the sense that the subject, when confronted with the alien, is not in the position of “knowing agent,” but rather in the position of “responder.” The response is not necessarily verbal or logical. Still, it can be a bodily action, an emotion, or even silence, and an asymmetrical intersubjectivity, which indicates that the relationship between the self and the alien is never symmetrical or balanced, and that power lies in the hands of the alien, who challenges the order of the self. In addition to Waldenfels’ ideas, Sigmund Freud and Julia Kristeva's concepts have also been used as complementary frameworks.4. Discussion and AnalysisIn Islamic mysticism, the concept of “strangeness” is central and corresponds to the Waldenfels-Heideggerian “ontological homelessness.” God, as the “unseen,” is the quintessential example of “radical otherness” and the inaccessible, calling the subject to openness and responsiveness. Abdullah Ansari calls seeking truth “strangeness” and considers the mystic a stranger in this world and the hereafter.Islamic mysticism responds to the alien through “integrative elimination” and the four ruptures: Spatial rupture, which is leaving one’s homeland, traveling, and residing in border places (ruins, groves) that symbolize openness to the unknown, as in Attar’s “The Journey of Birds to Simorgh”; Discursive rupture, which is entering into dialogue with non-conformists to hear the voice of a completely different semantic system, which is an example of asymmetrical intersubjectivity; Moral-symbolic rupture, which is the symbolic sanctification of concepts rejected by official religious discourse, such as blasphemy, wine, and Satan, which breaks the norms of the domestic world of Sharia; and Existential rupture, which is embodied experiences such as love and ecstasy that remove the subject from the sovereignty of self-grounded reason.The story of “Sheikh San’an” is a prime example of encountering the alien. The Sheikh is a self-grounded ascetic at the center of a meaningful domestic world of the Haram (mosque), organized around the Muslim/infidel dichotomies. The Christian girl appears as “an absolute other.” The Sheikh’s response (burning the Quran, drinking wine, and keeping pigs) is unpredictable, existential, and unconsciousness. His relationship with the girl is an example of asymmetrical intersubjectivity. Even with his eventual return to Islam (in Attar’s account), the sheikh’s domestic world is no longer the same. This experience transforms his understanding of love and truth, establishing a ruptured order that legitimises the experience of the alien.5. ConclusionThis study demonstrates that Waldenfels’ phenomenological framework of the alien provides a powerful analytical tool for understanding the mechanisms of encountering otherness in Islamic mysticism. Both traditions emphasise radical otherness, a break from the familiar homeworld, the responsive position of the subject, and the asymmetry of the self-alien relationship. However, they differ in their views on the finality of this relationship. In Waldenfels’ phenomenology, the alien always remains an unattainable “other,” whereas in Islamic mysticism, this ultimate alien (God) is recognised as the seeker’s “true self.” The findings suggest that this process provides not only an epistemological mechanism but also an ethical framework for exploring cultural and religious differences in the contemporary world.BibliographyAnsari, A. 1383 [2004]. Manāzel Al-Sā’erin. Tehran: Mola. [In Persian].Attar. 1383 [2004]. Mantiq Al-Tayr. Mohammadreza, Sh. K (ed.). Terhan: Sokhan. [In Persian].Freud, S. (2003). The Uncanny. David, M (trans.). NP: Penguin.Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and Time. Macquarrie &Robinson (trans.). NP: Harper & Row.Husserl, E. (1954). The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology. NP: NP.Kristeva, J. (1982). Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Leon, S. R (trans.). NP: Columbia University Press.Steinbock, A. J. (1995). Home and Beyond: Generative Phenomenology After Husserl. NP: Northwestern University Press.Tabrizi, Sh. 1391 [2012]. Maqālāt. Mohammadali, M (ed.). Tehran: Kharazmi. [In Persian].Waldenfels, B. (2011). Phenomenology of the Alien. NP: Northwestern University Press.Waldenfels, B. (2006). Grundmotive einer Phänomenologie des Fremden. NP: Suhrkamp. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9381.html Informed by Walter Benjamin’s concept of “involuntary memory,” this study examines the representation of memory and the process of recollection in Goli Taraghi’s oeuvre. Benjamin distinguishes between voluntary and involuntary memory: the former operates through conscious will, while the latter is triggered suddenly through sensory stimuli, bringing the past into the present in a fragmented, instantaneous, and nonlinear form. In Taraghi’s fictional world, sensory experiences—ranging from hearing, smell, and taste to sight, touch, and even bodily movement—serve as gateways for the activation of such memories. An analysis of stories such as “The First Day,” “The Unfinished Game,” “The Pear Tree,” “A House in Heaven,” “The Incident,” and “The Return”—used here as case studies—demonstrates how minor sensory triggers can summon a network of blurred, fragmented, and quasi-cinematic images that intertwine past and present. These narratives reveal that the body and the senses play a central role in shaping involuntary memories, where recollection is less the linear reconstruction of the past than a fleeting, dialectical event between remembering and forgetting. Thus, in Taraghi’s works, memory is not merely a narrative construct but an ontological foundation that reflects individual experience in relation to history and the collective lifeworld. The findings further suggest that the imagistic and montage-like qualities of these memories resonate with Benjamin’s visual metaphors of memory. Accordingly, Taraghi’s fictional universe can be seen as a site for the embodiment of Benjamin’s idea of involuntary memory, where sensory experience becomes the point of convergence between past and present. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionIn the works of Goli Taraghi, as one of the most prominent contemporary Iranian novelists, memory plays a central and constructive role. Informed by Walter Benjamin’s concept of “involuntary memory,” this study examines the representation of memory and the process of recollection in Goli Taraghi’s oeuvre. The central question of this study are: How is the relationship between sensory experience, the body, and memory configured in the fictional world of Taraghi, and how does this representation relate to Benjamin’s conceptualisation of involuntary memory? This article aims to reveal that sensory experiences—ranging from hearing, smell, and taste to sight, touch, and even bodily movement—serve as gateways for the activation of involuntary memories.2. MethodologyThis research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach and a qualitative content analysis method. The statistical population of the research includes stories such as “The First Day,” “The Unfinished Game,” “The Pear Tree,” “A House in Heaven,” “The Incident,” and “The Return.”3. Theoretical FrameworkMemory is a fundamental intellectual conceptualisation of Walter Benjamin, a German philosopher and theorist. According to Benjamin, recollection is less the product of a rational attempt to recreate the past and more a sudden event that brings hidden and forgotten experiences to light in the present. Benjamin distinguishes between voluntary and involuntary memory: the former operates through conscious will, while the latter is triggered suddenly through sensory stimuli, bringing the past into the present in a fragmented, instantaneous, and nonlinear form. Benjamin emphasises that involuntary memory has a sensory and corporeal basis. He repeatedly resorts to cinematic metaphors to explain memory. He likens the structure of memory to a film reel: a collection of disconnected frames that only acquire new meaning in the montage process. Just as cinema confronts the viewer with sudden cuts and unexpected juxtapositions, involuntary memory functions as montages of the past that joins the present in a shocking moment.4. Discussion and AnalysisIn Taraghi’s fictional world, sensory experiences—ranging from hearing, smell, and taste to sight, touch, and even bodily movement—serve as gateways for the activation of such memories. An analysis of stories such as “The First Day,” “The Unfinished Game,” “The Pear Tree,” “A House in Heaven,” “The Incident,” and “The Return”—used here as case studies—demonstrates how minor sensory triggers can summon a network of blurred, fragmented, and quasi-cinematic images that, intertwine past and present. These narratives reveal that the body and the senses play a central role in shaping involuntary memories, where recollection is less the linear reconstruction of the past than a fleeting, dialectical event between remembering and forgetting. Thus, in Taraghi’s works, memory is not merely a narrative construct but an ontological foundation that reflects individual experience in relation to history and the collective lifeworld. Accordingly, Taraghi’s fictional universe can be seen as a site for the embodiment of Benjamin’s idea of involuntary memory, where sensory experience becomes the point of convergence between past and present.5. ConclusionThe present analysis showed that involuntary memory, according to Benjamin, is the fundamental mechanism shaping the fictional world of Goli Taraghi. In this world, the past is evoked suddenly and through sensory stimuli. These memories, which are not the product of will and linear reconstruction, are evoked through sensory shocks and the body’s kinesthetic perception—from hearing a familiar name to feeling a touch or tasting a food. In Taraghi’s fictional world, sensory experiences serve as gateways for the activation of such memories and connect a network of fragmented times and places (home/abroad, childhood/middle age). Thus, memory is not a purely psychological or narrative phenomenon, but rather has an ontological and bodily foundation that defines the individual’s presence in his or her personal  and collective history. The present analysis also reveals that this sensory appeal is also reflected in the expressive and stylistic level of the narrative itself. To represent involuntary memories, Taraghi frequently employs terms and metaphors borrowed from cinema and photography. The past in these narratives is rarely reconstructed in a linear and coherent form, but rather appears as fleeting images, broken fragments, or slow shots that carry a paradoxical mixture of presence and absence, clarity and ambiguity. Overall, Goli Taraghi draws on these narrative techniques to portray the transient, elusive, and multilayered nature of memory.BibliographyAbbas, A. 1988. “Walter Benjamin’s Collector: The Fate of Modern Experience.” New Literary History,  No. 20 (1), pp. 217–237.Benjamin, W. 1986. “A Berlin Chronicle.” In Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical Writings, pp. 3–60. New York: Schocken.Ferris, D. S. 2008. The Cambridge Introduction to Walter Benjamin. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press.Gilloch, G. 1996. Myth and Metropolis: Walter Benjamin and the City. Cambridge: Polity Press.Hansen, M. 2012. Cinema and Experience: Siegfried Kracauer, Walter Benjamin, and Theodor W. Adorno. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.Jay, M. 2005. Songs of Experience: Modern American and European Variations on a Universal Theme. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.Kang, J. 2014. Walter Benjamin and the Media: The Spectacle of Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press.Leslie, E. 2010. “Siegfried Kracauer and Walter Benjamin: Memory from Weimar to Hitler.” In Memory: Histories, Theories, Debates. Susannah, R., and Bill, S (eds.). pp. 123–135. New York: Fordham University Press.McTighe, M. E. 2012. Framed Spaces: Photography and Temporality in Contemporary Installation Art. New Hampshire: Dartmouth College Press.Moran, J. 2003. “Benjamin and Boredom.” Critical Quarterly, No. 45 (1–2), pp. 168–181. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9413.html Georges Poulet is one of the phenomenological thinkers of the Geneva School and a founding figure of theme criticism. By developing an integrative method combining philosophy and psychology, with an emphasis on the production of the literary work as a mental act, he sought to bring the reader closer to the core temporality of the work’s creation. Organised around Heideggerian theories, the concept of “selfhood” (khodboodegi) can be traced in the ideas of phenomenologists. While this term may initially suggest an existentialist reading, Poulet refers to it as “mental presence” (la présence) and “lived experience” (expérience vécue). Throughout Hasht Ketab (Eight Books), Sepehri invites the reader to a realm where inner time is uniquely reconstructed for artistic creation. The inner time Sepehri envisions is a fusion of mythical time and temporal embodiment—a time that does not belong solely to the speaker but allows the reader to construct their own temporality within the domain of language. This research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, drawing on Georges Poulet’s theories to explore Sepehri’s poetry in Hasht Ketab. The study aims to offer a new reading of Sepehri’s poetry by examining selfhood as a form of “mental presence,” “lived experience,” and “existential self.” Poulet’s key arguments are categorised into thirteen sub-themes, each supported by textual evidence. By employing the “idea of temporal spatialisation” and blending myth with experiential time, Sepehri creates a fluid space that enables the reader to reconstruct the past within their own mind. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionCombining psychology, literary criticism, and philosophy, Georges Poulet (1902-1991), one of the founders of the Geneva School, offered an interdisciplinary approach to textual analysis. In his Études Sur le Temps Humain, Poulet conceptualises the point of departure. By proposing time and spatial identity, Poulet challenges structuralist approaches to a literary work. In his view, thematic analysis can uncover the layers of a literary work. Emphasising the production of a work as a mental act, he attempted to bring the reader closer to the central core of its temporal creation by highlighting high-frequency words. Hence, he presented “temporal spatialisation,” in which the poet or writer, by creating a fluid space, creatively reimagines the narrated past through the reader. Echoing the psychological proposition of “the difference between the creation and reading of a work,” he argued that there is a difference between the narrator and the reader’s temporal spatialisation.2. MethodologyAdopting a descriptive-analytical approach and informed by Georges Poulet’s theories, this article investigates Sohrab Sepehri’s Hasht Ketab. The purpose of this research is a new reading of Sepehri’s poetry in the light of selfhood as a form of “mental presence,” “lived experience,” and “existential self.” This article categorizes Poulet’s theories in thirteen innovative titles, with examples cited for each. 3. Theoretical FrameworkGeorges Poulet’s theories of temporality are derived from the phenomenological ideas of the Geneva School, especially those of Edmund Husserl’s. In this system of thought, time is tied to human consciousness.  Husserl distinguishes three levels of time for our consideration: worldly or objective time, personalistic or subjective time, and the consciousness of internal time. In order to reach the so-called “absolute consciousness,” each of these temporal dimensions must be sought at a deeper level.4. Discussion and AnalysisThe present research examines temporality and spatiality to explicate the author and reader’s selfhood in creating and reading the work. Accordingly, the article explores how Proust’s concept of selfhood, as a phenomenon in accordance with time and space, is closely connected to Descartes’ “existential self.” In his teachings, Poulet speaks of the writer’s/poet's role in collapsing the traditional understanding of temporality, in such a way that human consciousness of time becomes the key to understanding the writer’s/poet’s fragmented and nonlinear images of time. Sepehri, in his Eight Books, also tries to set aside all non-intuitive assumptions and presuppositions to reduce the limits and boundaries of consciousness. Through this consciousness, the poet and poetry mirror each other; this, in turn, creates a kind of selfhood that leads to the discovery of new capacities in his world.5. ConclusionIn his Eight Books, Sohrab Sepehri presents his mental and phenomenological experiences. His descriptions are nonlinear and in accordance with his memory. To properly understand this temporality, we need to explore the relationship between the poet’s consciousness and the world. This method properly conveys the meaning and explains how temporality is represented in the poem’s creation. It seems that Sepehri portrays his lived-temporality, which is not linear but rather the result of intuitive experiences, narrated in fragments, revealing the intersection between the continuity and discontinuity of time. The study offers a new reading of Sepehri’s poetry by examining selfhood as a form of “mental presence,” “lived experience,” and “existential self.” By employing the “idea of temporal spatialization” and blending myth with experiential time, Sepehri creates a fluid space that enables the reader to reconstruct the past within their own mind.BibliographyCryle, P. 2008. “Playful Theory: Georges Poulet’s Phenomenological Thematics.” Culture, Theory & Critique, No. 49(1), pp. 21-34.Hamidoost, M. 1394 [2015]. “Naqd-e Mazmooni va Bāzjost-hā-e Mo’alefeh-hā-e ān dar Dāstān-hā-e Houshang Golshiri.” Ph. D. Dissertation, University of Guilan. [In Persian].Hawks, T. 1380 [2001]. Este’āreh. Farzaneh, T (trans.). Tehran: Markaz. [In Persian].Jung, C. 1378 [1999]. Ensān va Sambol-hā-ash. Mahmoud, S (trans.). Tehran: Jami. [In Persian].Moein, M. 1389 [2010]. Naqd-e Mazmooni, āra, Andisheh-hā va Ravesh-Shenāsi-e George Poulet: Dark-e Maqouleh-hā-ye Zamān va Makān. Tehran: Elmi va Farhangi. [In Persian].Makaryk, I. 1388 [2009]. Dānesh-Nāmeh-e Nazariyeh-e Adabi. Mehran, M (trans.). Tehran: Agah. [In Persian].Poulet, G. 1385 [2006]. “Padidār-Shenāsi-e Khāndan.” Mahboobeh, Kh (trans.). Mehr Aveh, No. 5-6-7, pp. 55-78. [In Persian].Poulet, G. 1390 [2011]. Fazāye Prousti. Vahid, Gh (tr ans.). Tehran: Qoqnoos. [In Persian].Sepehri, S. 1378 [1999]. Hasht Ketāb. Tehran: Tahouri. [In Persian]. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_8862.html Informed by Juri Lotman and the Tartu-Moscow School, cultural semiotics attempts to define culture from a semiotic perspective. Throughout their research, Lotman and his colleagues coined various terms which played a crucial role in redefining culture. Among these terms are “mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion,” “cultural translation,” “the opposition between self and the other,” “a focus on the concept of memory,” “semiosphere,” and “cultural explosion.” By employing these mechanisms, Lotman transforms culture into a subject of study. As one of the canonical novels in Persian literature, Sadegh Hedayat’s The Blind Owl (Boof-e Koor) is a multidimensional work which reflects elements of psychology, history, and Hedayat’s worldview toward society. Echoing Lotman’s cultural theories, the present study aims to explore The Blind Owl. This study concludes that The Blind Owl is not merely a psychological or social text, but rather a semiotic structure in which a semantic explosion occurs. This explosion leads Hedayat to redefine the discourse between the self and the other. By delineating his own semiosphere and establishing cultural boundaries, Hedayat explores how non-cultural elements enter the text, and ultimately subjugate themselves under the dominance of the self. Extended Abstract1. IntroductionCultural semiotics, as a branch of semiotic studies, examines semantic structures and signification processes in cultures. Informed by Juri Lotman and the Tartu-Moscow School, cultural semiotics views culture not as a static set of signs, but as a dynamic and changing system in which the interaction between self and the other, cultural inclusion and exclusion, and the process of semantic translation play a fundamental role. In this framework, culture is a symbolic structure that, rather than focusing on the culture itself, focuses on the perception of members of society of their own culture, on the conflicts and relationships between cultures, subcultures, and other cultural elements.Literary fiction, as a medium for representing culture, has always been the focality of humanities studies. As one of the canonical novels in Persian literature, Sadegh Hedayat’s The Blind Owl (Boof-e Koor) is a multidimensional work which paves the way for diverse literary studies. As an alternative reading, cultural semiotics, as an interdisciplinary approach, can reveal new layers of its semantic system. The main question of this study is how cultural semiotics presents an alternative reading of The Blind Owl, and how semiotic mechanisms lead to the reproduction of cultural meanings in the novel.2. MethodologyInformed by Juri Lotman’s theories on culture, this descriptive-analytical study explores Sadegh Hedayat’s The Blind Owl.3. Theoretical FrameworkThe theoretical framework of this study is in accordance with Lotman’s theories. The keywords of this framework are as follows:Semiosphere: The semiosphere is the semiotic space necessary for the existence and functioning of languages, a space which has prior existence and is in constant interaction with languages.Center and Periphery: The center is a stable semantic space, whereas the periphery is a source of innovation and change. The border of this space, like the body’s immune system, attracts beneficial elements and rejects incompatible ones.Cultural Translation: The process of transmitting and interpreting signs between cultures, which is always accompanied by asymmetry and structural differences.Collective memory: A dynamic system that links and correlates the past to the present.4. Discussion and AnalysisDrawing upon Lotman’s cultural theories, the present study explores The Blind Owl. This study argues that the sign systems go beyond individual and subjective meanings; they are embedded in a network of cultural connotations and are linked to socio-historical structures. This section explores the following notions:Semiosphere in The Blind Owl: Explains the bipolar space formed between cultural and non-cultural elements.Centre and peripheral in the narrative: Identifies the central and peripheral situations and elements, and analyses the relationships between them.Borders and their threshold: Examining how characters or symbols cross cultural and social boundaries.Cultural translation: Analyses the process of translation and reinterpretation of signs and their impact on the meaning production.The role of memory: Investigates the impact of individual and collective memory on the narrative and meaning of the work.Cultural explosion: It is a place of confrontation, and a time when unexpected events create the conditions for a cultural explosion.5. ConclusionThis study concludes that The Blind Owl is not only a literary work, but also a cultural and semiotic text that represents complex mechanisms of interaction between culture and non-culture, self and other, and memory and oblivion. A cultural semiotic analysis of the work opens a new window to understand the relationship between literature and semantic cultural systems. It also shows that by utilizing concepts such as border, translation, and cultural explosion, Hedayat creates a multi-layered symbolic world. In addition, The Blind Owl is not merely a psychological or social text, but rather a semiotic structure in which a semantic explosion occurs. This explosion leads Hedayat to redefine the discourse between the self and the other. By delineating his own semiosphere and establishing cultural boundaries, Hedayat explores how non-cultural elements enter the text, and ultimately subjugate themselves under the dominance of the self.BibliographyKatoozian, Homayoun. 1372 [1993]. Sādegh Hedāyat az Afsāneh tā Vāghei’at. Tehran: Tarhe No. [In Persian].Lotman, Jury. 1990. Universe of the Mind. Ann, Sh (trans.). NP: Indiana University Press.Lotman, Jury. 2005. “On the Semiosphere.” Sign System Studies. NV: 205-299.Lotman, Jury. 2013. “On the Dynamics of Culture.” Sign System Studies. NV: 355-370.Lotman, Jury. 1401 [2022]. Darbāreh-ye Sāz-o-kār-e Sepehr Neshāneh-ei. Farnaz, K (trans.). Tehran: Elm. [In Persian].Semeneko, Aleksei. 1396 [2017]. Tār-o-pood-e Farhang. Hossein, S (trans.). Tehran: Elmi va Farhangi. [In Persian].Sonesson, Goran. 1390 [2011]. Mafhoom-e Matn dar Neshāneh-shenāsi-e Farhangi. Farzan, S (trans.). Tehran: Elm. [In Persian].Tamm, Marek. 2019. Jury Lotman’s Semiotic Theory of History and Cultural Memory. NP: Tallinn University Press. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9326.html Majalis ul-Mo'minin is regarded as one of the most significant sources in the intellectual, cultural, political, and literary history of the Safavid period. In this work, consisting of an introduction (Fatiha), a conclusion, and twelve sessions (Majlis), Qazi Nurullah Shustari endeavored to introduce many prominent political, scientific, literary, religious, and mystical figures as eminent Shiite personalities. This approach has historically led to the book being perceived as an ideological text and subjected to criticism and ridicule. Employing modern textual research approaches such as those of Jerome McGann, this article demonstrates that Majalis ul-Mo'minin can be considered a unique example of traditional textual scholarship and the revival of texts that have been historically excluded and marginalized for being labeled ideological. Indeed, it should be stated that these texts, beyond their literary merit, possess socio-historical and cultural significance and can reflect the beliefs and thoughts of sects and schools that have been overlooked and marginalized. The second part of the article aims to explain and analyze the ideological mechanisms employed by Qazi Nurullah Shustari in compiling Majalis ul-Mo'minin. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9410.html Scene as a literary technique has a special place in fiction and its interpretation. In this article, by presenting an example taken from a Persian novel, we have shown that scene setting is not limited to Western literature and its use in Persian literature is also undeniable. Next, by applying Stéphane Lojkine's theories to a selected text from Émile Zola's Germinal, we attempted to add some considerations to the theorist's understanding of this concept while explaining the meaning that the scene in question could have for the reader. However, we were mindful of the fact that each text is unique and has its own creator, which led us to refrain from any comparative study between the two texts, despite their close content. As we have seen throughout the work and especially in the final part of our analysis, the meaning of scene is the result of the emotional impact that it has on the reader, who has now accepted the role of a spectator. This effect, in the specific case of Zola, stems from a set of factors inherent in the author's writing. Among them are the impressionistic images, symbolism, and the creation of composite forms that are characteristic of Zola's epic writing. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9516.html This article analyzes the contradictions present in the poetry collection of Abul-Qasim Lahuti from philosophical and political perspectives. Drawing on the theories of Marxist theorists and critical philosophy, it aims to examine how concepts such as revolution, decolonization, social contradictions, and revolutionary praxis are represented in Lahuti’s poetry. This study analyzes class, ideological, formal-linguistic, and ontological contradictions, then explores the decolonizing contradiction and its role in conceptualizing praxis. The findings reveal that Lahuti expresses anti-colonial, liberatory, and revolutionary ideas through his poetic language and analyzes various social and political contradictions within the cultural-historical context of Iran. The article emphasizes that Lahuti, through his poetry, promoted class consciousness and the struggle against colonial and autocratic domination. Ultimately, it concludes that Lahuti was not only a worker poet but also a pioneer of revolutionary and decolonizing thought in Iran’s cultural and political sphere and his poetry holds great significance in interdisciplinary research. https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9647.html Based on the principles of cultural semiology and Yuri Lotman’s semiotic sphere theory, the present study deals with the reading and analysis of focal signs in two fundamental texts of ancient Iran, Yadgar Zariran and Karnameh Ardashir Babakan. The “focal sign” is considered the meaning-generating center and organizing force of the semiotic sphere of the text; a sign around which a system of values, norms, and cultural codes is formed and which defines the boundaries of the cultural “self” and “other.” The aim of this research is to identify and explain the function of focal signs in the representation of Iranian culture and to understand the mechanism of demarcation between other cultural spheres. The findings show that in Yadgar Zariran, the focal sign of “stability against distorted reading of religion” is located at the border of the semiotic sphere and the meaning is produced through confrontation and recoding, while in Karnameh Ardeshir Babakan, the focal sign of “cosmic order and legitimacy of power” is located at the center of the semiotic sphere and the meaning is transferred and institutionalized from the center to the periphery. This comparative analysis shows that the Iranian cultural sphere is moving from a defensive and reactive state to an organizing and reproducing state. The research method is descriptive-analytical and based on comparative reading within the framework of Yuri Lotman’s theory https://naqd.guilan.ac.ir/article_9698.html This study investigates the functions of discourse markers in Akbar Radi’s play The Blue Eyelet within the framework of Schiffrin’s theoretical model. In the first stage, the discourse markers employed in the dialogues were identified, and their roles in shaping character voice, establishing discourse coherence, and organizing dramatic action were examined. The textual analysis revealed that both the frequency and the types of discourse markers used by the characters follow a meaningful distribution and that their selection aligns closely with character traits, interactional contexts, and the dramatic tensions of the play. In the second stage, to assess the degree of alignment between the theoretical analysis and readers’ interpretations, a questionnaire consisting of fifteen selected dialogues was designed and completed by fifty readers. Statistical results (81.16%) indicated that readers, even without theoretical awareness, were able to recognize the discourse functions of these markers in their interpretation of the text, and that their understanding was largely consistent with the theoretical analysis. Furthermore, the responses showed that discourse functionality in the play is not limited to Schiffrin’s eleven canonical markers; additional linguistic units may also function discursively depending on contextual factors, readers’ background knowledge, and other pragmatic conditions. These findings highlight the importance of studying discourse markers in the analysis of literary texts—particularly dramatic works—and underscore that familiarity with these elements can provide valuable tools for literary criticism, close reading, and dramaturgy.