An Analysis of the Simorgh's Tale in "Mantegh- al- Tayr" Based on Postmodern Readings

 
Mohammad Khosravishakib
Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Lorestan University, Iran
(Corresponding Author)
M.khosravishakib@gmail.com  

Introduction

Classical Persian literature, like other types of art, needs new facilities and talents to convince the reader; Capacities that can hold today's sensitive and diverse reader and give a convincing answer to his political, social and psychological concerns. It seems that contemporary and non-native literary theories, which have been ironically designed to respond to the extravagance and diversity of the good reader, have the ability to revive the neglected and hidden capacities of classical works. Postmodernism and its key and special component, "Uncertainty" from the middle of the twentieth century until now, in various fields of art - architecture, film, painting, literature, theater, calligraphy, etc. - more than other approaches, debate has created contradictory academic and non-academic backgrounds. This theory seeks, above all, skepticism in macro-cultural, religious, literary, historical, political, and social narratives, as well as attempts at descriptions and new and capacity-building. Mantehq al-Tair Attar is one of the good, strong and capable works of Persian literature. This valuable book, with all the academic and non-academic critiques and controversies surrounding it, still has the energy to make sense of convince today's readers.

2. Methodology

Postmodernism is one of the theories that escapes the service of hegemonic ideologies and claims to hate imitation and limiting expectations. Postmodernism is the end of macro-narratives and, in general, the end of mono-narrative and absolute thinking. Postmodernism favors giving way to multiple sub-narratives. In this article, we have tried to reach less familiar readings of the story of Simorgh in the Mantehq al-Tair by applying this theory. Obviously, if we talk about the story of Simorgh, we mean that these postmodernist readings may not fit the details of the stories in Mantehq al-Tair and the pragmatic view of Mantehq al-Tair rejects such readings, but in a big way and based on the story of Simorgh and the birds, it can support and acknowledge new semantic horizons. The story of Simorgh in Mantehq al-Tair, as much as it has energy to establish and confirm metaphysical and mystical beliefs and interpretations, also has the necessary interpretive power and ability to be able to create doubts and hesitations in these beliefs without being accused of inaction and inaction.

Discussion

Mantehq al-Tair Attar is one of the good, strong and capable works of Persian literature. This valuable book, with all the academic and non-academic critiques and controversies surrounding it, still has the energy to make sense of and convince today's readers. Attar, with the story of Simorgh in Mantehq al-Tair, seeks to teach how and describe a cultural, civic, public, and political action. At the end of the story of Mantehq al-Tair, when the birds realize that there is no news about Simorgh and that his presence was just a kind of imagination, a kind of dynamic realism and pragmatism arises in them and they realize that they are "thirty chickens" and They have to decide their own destiny, and their expectation is shaken by external godly forces and metaphysical controls. At the end of the story, the birds in Simorgh's story seek to get out of passivity and make an impact. Their collective identity in the form of "Thirty Chickens" has moved away from passivity and subjectivity, and they have become influential actors and actors, and the quantitative concern of the beginning of the story has finally been sublimated to the qualitative, epistemological, and cognitive concerns. The end of this story, in a dramatic and innovative way, shows the vain expectation of a group of birds who, disappointed with the existence of a cosmic and saving creature, realize that such a creature has no external existence and that their search was purely for search and futility. Birds that have grown up over the years believing that a cosmic and extraterrestrial being is thinking of managing their affairs and that its place is at the top of Mount Qaf, now realize that this creature - Simorgh - has no external existence at all and only it was an idea that completed their narrative of worldly life. In fact, the story of Simorgh and the birds in Mantehq al-Tair promotes a kind of collective authority that can be a source of real and lasting power that is productive and constructive, and integrates all capacities and civil institutions in the network of power so that it can somehow Reach a single identity and mentality; As the birds reached this unique identity at the end of the story. "Thirty chickens" reach Qaf Mountain and find that by removing the source of the unit of power and dictatorship - Simorgh - as well as the spread of power in civil institutions - Thirty chickens - a kind of identity and authority is produced that is more efficient, capable and durable. And can be considered a more up-to-date reading of the category of power.
 

Conclusion

Mantagh-al-Tair and its strong plot are specific texts that it is powerful and effective that it can receive different and sometimes contradictory semantic horizons and talk to countless receivers and audiences. Postmodern readings of the story of Simorgh and other birds in the Mantagh-al-Tair show that there are active and up-to-date semantic allusions and implications in this story that can turn it into a transcendental "hypertext". Considering the dynamism and nature of dialogue and flexibility of Mantagh-al-Tair, can be said that "pluralism", "collective action", "self-knowledge and collective perfectionism", "death of God", "the absence of words and vain human expectation", The "disintegration of social classes," the "decentralization of power and its dissemination," the "transformation of the values ​​of survival into the values ​​of assertiveness," are new semantic fields and horizons that are the product of a postmodernist and, of course, nonprofit and non-fanatical view of this. It is a unique text.
Keywords: Postmodernism, Mantagh-al-Tair, Uncertainty of Meaning, Tale of Simorgh.
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