Narrative frames in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh (based on mythological and heroic parts)

Narratology is the study and analysis of narratives which are made up of elements and components. One of these elements is the narrative frames that the creator of the narrative relies on to express his subjects in different forms. Framings are partial cuts of the background and plot of the story that create a positive presence and absence. In this research, narrative framings in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh have been discussed by descriptive-analytical method. The types of frames are defined and interpreted based on mythological and heroic parts. The research results indicate that: relying on these two parts of the Shahnameh, four types of framing can be considered. a) didactic framings, b) framing in the form of eloquence, c) framing by highlighting the subject of the speaker and d) framing as creating balance in the composition of events. All four framings provide interpretations of the narrative world and Ferdowsi, relying on these methods, has sometimes tried to express his intended educational concepts; Sometimes, with a time preview, it guides the audience to future events and justifies the necessity of the events; Sometimes he reminds the audience of his role as the creator of the narrative and makes the suspended one serve the narrative possibility. And sometimes by framing the events, to create a balance in their composition.
Keywords: narratology, Shahnameh, Ferdowsi, framing, interpretation.

Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Corresponding Author (hiva.hasanpour@uok.ac.ir). 09188747107
Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabatabaei University (e.tag37@yahoo.com).
PhD student in Persian language and literature, Allameh Tabatabaei University (naj.nasiri51@gmail.com).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Introduction
Every literary work, whether narrative or non-narrative, uses techniques to express its concepts. The role of these techniques is more evident in the appeal and impact of the narrative. Narratives are a set of techniques through which concepts are transmitted. One of these techniques is framing, a term that was first taken from bullfighting (cf. Boniters, 2019: 70) and then received special attention in cinema studies. This study examines narrative framings and their function in interpreting the narratives of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, focusing on the mythological and epic sections. Framing refers to the positive presence and absence that the creative mind behind the narrative consciously includes in its narrative. In fact, it is a “biased and partial cut of the context and realm of reality” (Boniters, 2019: 71) that is placed in the narrative for hypothetical “yous” or listeners. The positivity of framings refers to their existence and non-existence, meaning that some events and what should be and some events and what should not be encompass the philosophy of narrative framings. Believing in the bias of framings is believing in the conscious nature of narratives because “experience is never raw and free from theory, but is always the output of a specific theoretical system” (Herman, 2016: 150).
Materials & Methods
This research, using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on library studies, examines and analyzes narrative framings in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh (with a focus on mythological and heroic sections). The Shahnameh text was the criterion for determining the frames and their division.
Discussion & Result
One of the most important findings of this research, apart from the classifications it has made based on the text of the Shahnameh and the examples it has identified for analysis that are appropriate to those classifications, is the acknowledgement of the purposefulness of the techniques in expressing the narrative. In other words, based on the data from this study, it is proven that choosing the way to narrate an issue is not a simple and accidental matter, but rather the system of knowledge governing the period and social vision has caused the author of the narrative work to choose a specific form of expression for himself. The classifications of the framings in the Shahnameh based on the mythical and epic sections confirm this point.
Conclusion
By creating narrative frames, Ferdowsi has tried to both bring the discourse to the level of the narrative in a suspended moment and to direct the audience to the world outside the narrative, and to make his worldview dominate the narrative as a speaking subject who is the creative consciousness behind the narrative. The frames in the Shahnameh narrative fill the gaps in the narrative world, and through them, Ferdowsi sometimes teaches and uses actions, events, characters, etc. as a means of entering this level of discourse and sometimes, by framing events, he tries to create balance in their composition and also reminds the audience of his position as the main builder of the narrative. Also, framings sometimes serve as an introductory gesture to enter the world of the story and, as a temporal greeting, explain divine destinies and future events. They directly address the audience with the implicit "you" address in the narrative and explain their role in the events. Finally, it can be said that the narrative framings in the Shahnameh, as expressive techniques, stabilize concepts and centralize the values ​​intended by its creator, and through them, Ferdowsi has applied his own system of values ​​to the text.