Document Type : Original Article
Author
Associate Professor at the University of Isfahan
Abstract
Mysticism possesses a special place in Persian literature. Rumi, Attar, and Imam Muhammad Ghazali are among the key mystical figures who have created great masterpieces in Persian literature. The present paper aimed to compare a work from French and a story from Persian literature. The story of Oscar and the Lady in Pink is a modern French story written by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and the story of Reslat-Altair is a classic story written in Arabic by Imam Muhammad Ghazali. The paper focuses on the mentioned literary works to identify their similarities and differences and draw conclusions based on them. The current study uses library resources and the content analysis method. It is based on American-School which focuses on evidence drawn from the text understudy and the aesthetic values of the compared works. In this school, finding historical evidence has no place in data analysis. The main framework includes the seven stages of mystical journey mentioned in Attar’s Mantegh-al-tair: quest/desire, love, wisdom, detachment/self-determination, unity/monotheism, wonderment, poverty/indigence and annihilation/death. The findings suggested that almost all stages of mystical journeys in the works understudy were comparable. Despite some differences, there are many similarity points between the two stories. One of the main reasons of this similarity could be the belonging of the two works to the field of religious literature and their dealing with the common theme of “mystical journey”. Characteristics such as perfectionism, truth-seeking and common human spirit play a pivotal role in the emergence of such exquisite and comparable mystical works.
Keywords
- Mystical-journey
- Muhammad Ghazali’s Reslat-altair
- Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s Oscar and the Lady in Pink
- Attar’s Mantegh-al-tair
Main Subjects
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