Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mohammadhasan Hasanzade Niri, ¹
• Fatemeh Golbabaee ²

¹ Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

² Ph.D. Candidate in Persian language and literature faculty in Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

 The reader-response approach to literary criticism focuses on the active role of the reader in shaping the meaning of a text. This approach examines how readers, influenced by their cultural, social, and historical contexts, interpret and respond to a literary work. Unlike traditional forms of literary criticism, which prioritize authorial intent or the intrinsic qualities of the text, the reader-response theory emphasizes the dynamic interaction between the text and its audience. In this framework, the reader's background, beliefs, and expectations directly influence the interpretation of the text. Additionally, a key function of this approach is analyzing how the implied reader influences the creation of a text, even at the pre-writing stage. This study explores this concept through two elegies by Sa’di, the Iranian classical poet, written in Persian and Arabic. It investigates how Sa’di adapted each poem to address the unique cultural contexts of their respective audiences. This analysis demonstrates the central role of the audience in not only interpreting the texts, but also guiding their creation.
 
 




 

Keywords

• Sa’di's Persian elegy
• Sa’di's Arabic elegy
• reader-response criticism
• implied reader