Analyzing the speed of narration in the story of Zahhak

Hasanpour, Hiva; Tajbakhsh, Esmaeel; Nasiri Panbechoole, Najmeh

doi:10.30465/lir.2025.49704.1902

Analyzing the speed of narration in the story of Zahhak

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

hiva hasanpour ¹

esmaeel tajbakhsh ²

najmeh nasiri panbechoole ³

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan

² Professor of Persian language and literature department of Allameh Tabatabai University

³ PhD student of Persian language and literature at Allameh Tabatabai University

https://doi.org/10.30465/lir.2025.49704.1902

Abstract

Introduction
A narrative is a collection of events in a context of time and place with the presence of characters and actors who shape its events. The set of characteristics that govern every narrative in every literary genre forms the narrative system of that work, which have fundamental differences at the macro and sometimes micro levels. One of the influential aspects of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is the system that governs its narrative. Narrative pace is a term coined by the Frenchman Gerard Gennet to distinguish between the time of the text and the time of its narration and it monitors the speed at which the reader reads the narrative, which is sometimes slow and sometimes fast, depending on factors. This study examines the pace of narration in the story of Zahhak from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. In addition, the narrative speed examined in this study is not based on Genette's ideas, but rather on the models presented in the article "Models for Examining Narrative Speed." According to the authors' searches in databases, no research was found that directly examined the narrative speed in the story of Zahhak. However, some studies have paid attention to this story from the perspective of narratology, which can be considered a complementary and more explanatory aspect for this research. The article "Narrative Structure in the Story of Zahhak", the article "Narrative Analysis of the Captivity of Zahhak in Baysanqori's Shahnameh Based on Gerard Genette's Theory" and the article "Structural Analysis of the Story of Zahhak Based on Claude Bermont's Logic of Roles Model", each of which deals with the story of Zahhak in the Shahnameh from different perspectives related to the present research question.
Materials & Methods
This research, using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on library studies, examines and analyzes the narrative speed in the story of Zahhak, as the first story in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh with a complete plot. Meanwhile, in examining and analyzing the speed of narration, Genette's theory is not the criterion, but the rhythm of narration is examined and analyzed based on other patterns.
Discussion & Result
Among the most important findings of this research, apart from analyzing the narrative speed in the story of Zahhak, we can mention the type of research and the importance of paying attention to the fit between theory and text. This means that at first glance, in any research, and especially in research based on literary theories, one must look critically at the theory and its relevance to the text under study. Theories should not be taken as holy scripture, nor should the text be examined solely on the basis of their proposed structure. Rather, in any research, the essence is the text under study, and theory must also enable a new reading and interpretation of it. Otherwise, the research will not yield any new and novel results. As in this study, the discussion of "narrative speed" has been viewed critically, and then, considering the nature of narrative verse texts and based on other models, the analysis of the narrative speed in the story of Zahhak has been carried out.
Conclusion
Ferdowsi used 12 key events in the story of Zahhak and based the story's consistency on those 12 events. In delivering the narrative pace of Zahhak's story, he has tried to narrate the nuclear events of the first part of the narrative at a faster pace. The reason for this could be his attention to introducing the story's setting to the reader and helping him enter the world of the story. Also, there is no need for length or detail in the initial events of the story, and Zahhak's story follows the logic of traditional narrative structure. The second part of the narration of Zahhak's story has negative momentum, and Ferdowsi has tried to narrate this part with greater focus, length, and detail. The reason for this is to establish the concepts in question in the confrontation between the two forces of good and evil. Since Ferdowsi has tried to provide education and advice in various places in the Shahnameh, this part of the narrative is an appropriate place to express his intended teachings. On the other hand, due to the mythical and epic nature of this section, as well as the fruition of the struggle between the forces of good and evil, the mention of actions and their description, the expression of bravery and heroism, and in a word, the establishment of the spirit of heroism in the story, the second part of the narrative required greater length and detail.

Keywords

narratology

speed

shahnameh

ferdowsi

zahhak

Subjects

Literary interdisciplinary research

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