Mohammad Reza Salehi Mazandarani; Zahra Nasirishiraz; Ghodrat Ghasemipour; Nasim Maraghi
Abstract
The narrator is one of the oldest elements of literature, with a history as long as human culture itself. In ancient narrative traditions, the narrator was not merely a literary ...
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The narrator is one of the oldest elements of literature, with a history as long as human culture itself. In ancient narrative traditions, the narrator was not merely a literary device but also a bearer and transmitter of collective memory, national traditions, and cultural values. Narrative therefore played a central role in preserving earlier poetry, and epic literature became one of the oldest narrative forms among nations. Like modern writers, ancient storytellers used narrators to convey events and organize the story world. The narrator may thus be regarded as the author’s representative in the text: the figure who recounts the story and sets it in motion, although he/she is not necessarily its creator. In classical narrative texts, the narrator often occupies a transcendent, almost godlike position; in later periods, especially after the Renaissance and with the rise of the modern novel, this position becomes earthlier and more artistic. Theorists have accordingly classified narrators according to their narrative level, point of view, degree of knowledge, and distance from events. Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, as a foundational work of Persian literature, has a strong narrative structure and can be productively examined through modern narratological concepts.
