somayeh Bigghalejogh; shossein seyedi
Abstract
The concept of literariness and its components is one of the most contentious issues in the field of literary criticism, which has yet to submit a definitive and specific definition, despite the efforts of many critics and literati; Adonis, a prominent Arab theorist, and critic, is one of the few critics ...
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The concept of literariness and its components is one of the most contentious issues in the field of literary criticism, which has yet to submit a definitive and specific definition, despite the efforts of many critics and literati; Adonis, a prominent Arab theorist, and critic, is one of the few critics who has been able to propound new theories about literariness. His views in this field have gone beyond the limited definition of poetry and have entered a broader field, literary theory. Therefore, in the present article, using the descriptive-analytical method, we have studied the concept of literariness and its components, this time from Adonis's point of view. What emphasizes the need for such research is that finding Adonis's special view on the subject of literariness and its components paves the way for a more accurate understanding of his poetic theory and highlights his unique position as a literary theorist. Thus, the purpose of the authors in this study is to explain the concept of literariness from the perspective of Adonis and to achieve this, we first explained the concept of literariness and its most components based on the opinions of Arab and Western critics then, by comparing these foundations, with the literary theories of Adonis, we tried to reach his literariness views. The results of the research indicate that Adonis, in his theory of literariness, uses the word poetry as an equivalent for literariness, and, like Western and Arabic critics, he has used literariness as a theory for reflection in the aesthetic judgments of the text. In addition, from his point of view, the writing stage is like a link between the first stage (oral) and the third stage (literary modernity) , and poetry at this stage becomes an open structure with many views.
Farhad Rajabi
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The connection between literature and philosophy has always been one of the accepted principles in the area of criticism and theorization for a long time. Regardless of the views of those for or against this connection, what is of utmost importance is the role of ...
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Extended Abstract
Introduction
The connection between literature and philosophy has always been one of the accepted principles in the area of criticism and theorization for a long time. Regardless of the views of those for or against this connection, what is of utmost importance is the role of each in development and meaningfulness of the other. As philosophy contributes particularly to poetry in line with increasing the richness of poems, it offers a novel face to literature whilst attempting to convey its messages through literature so as to diminish the border between literature and philosophy .I In this regard, poetry is effective in a simpler, more beautiful transfer of philosophical notions. Consequently, given the new era in which philosophy and literature have been united once more, philosophical awareness has become immensely important for a better understanding of profound literary works.
Theoretical Framework
As one of the schools of thought in philosophy, existentialism involves a more tangible connection with arts and literature. This school has integrated philosophy with literature extensively, becoming the focus of many scholars all around the world. The connection between contemporary Arabic and Persian poetry with philosophy, especially given the achievements of existentialism, has turned into a distinguished identity in certain poems. Instances of this claim includes the manifestation of such a philosophy in Ahmad Shamlou’s Little songs of foreign lands and Adonis’s Songs of Mahyar al-Dimashghi; both poets have created these works of art by considering the fundamental components of this philosophy. In the examination of these poems, the readers are faced with poets who think, or thinkers who are also poets; such a phenomenon becomes more prominent when accompanied by the existentialist outlook.
Some of the common prominent themes showing the influence of existentialism on both poets include the meaninglessness and exorbitance of existence, human alienation, and humans’ contradictions regarding the agency and meaningfulness. In addition to offering an image of the connection between the existentialist philosophy and contemporary literature, the present inquiry aims to examine the instances of this philosophy in two cases.
Method
The method used in this study is based on analyzing and comparing both poems through the existentialist outlook. Even though Shamlou and Adonis lived in the same era and met each other several times, it is highly unlikely for them to have been influenced by one another; rather, both have been influenced by the same school of thought, that is, Western existentialism. Accordingly, what is offered here in comparing both works is the American comparative literature method of criticism. In this approach, the proposed figures such as Henry Remak (1916-2009) and René Wellek (1903-1995) not only do not consider the basis as essentially the presence of a historical relation or impression and influence, but also accept the connection between literature and other types of sciences and arts in the area by expanding the scope of the discussion (Alkhatib, 1999). On the other hand, the American school considers the presence of intellectual and cultural similarities between two literatures or cultures producing similar works to be inside the scope of studies in the area of comparative literature. In other words, according to the view that states, “Comparative literature involves comparing a literature to other literatures as well as comparing literature to other areas of human tastes and intellects” (Anoushiravani, 2010, p. 15), the origins of Little songs of foreign lands and Songs of Mahyar al-Dimashghi, which are of the same intellectual and cultural backgrounds, could be a motivation for conducting such a comparison.
Results
On one hand, the examination of the presence of existentialism in the poetry of Shamlou and Adonis confirms an interdisciplinary connection between literature and philosophy which is considered as one of the functions of comparative literature in accordance with the American school; on the other hand, it represents the feedback which is observed in the poems of both poets, particularly in Little songs of foreign lands and Songs of Mahyar al-Dimashghi. Such a consequence often leads to unity between the mutual ontological approach and outlook of both poets while it sometimes shows minor differences in their orientations. Accordingly, the following results were obtained through examining both works:
When faced with the absurdity of existence, Shamlou portrays an atmosphere full of hopelessness and objection, often being under the influence of realism; however, not only Adonis does not halt amidst absurdity, he moves on and confirms the active role of humans by doing so.
In the poems of both poets, offering uncertainties regarding human loneliness is of more importance than providing answers to questions related to the subject. This is due to the fact that for an existentialist, discovering evil is of priority over solving it. In this regard, both poets have attempted to portray the present contradictory atmosphere by using antonyms.
Both poets regard humans as the center of existence. They consider humans as the ones creating meanings and their presence as the beginning of existence. Humans are constantly attempting to provide the means for the presence of another human so as to make pain and suffering more tolerable. They also believe in the agency of humans; however, Shamlou hopelessly regards himself as the agent of the dead, while Adonis looks forward to his next generation, wishing for humans to restore their own values.
Riot and rebellion against the terrible contemporary conditions are mutual mechanisms used by both poets; however, Shamlou acts as a warrior, while Adonis manifests himself in such a role by referring to what lies within him.
On the subject of becoming meaningful, Shamlou initially turns to romanticism followed by the real world, asking his audience to venture beyond themselves. Nevertheless, Adonis portrays this subject by offering a brief trace of romanticism within the surreal world, leading his audience to a vague atmosphere.
Arezoo Ebrahimi Dinani; Ahmad Razi Razi
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Adonis in Arabic literature is one of the most remarkable poets who created a new poetic style with the special features in poetry in terms of form and conception. His thoughts about poetry have been affected by a strong background of mystical views and also surrealistic ...
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Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Adonis in Arabic literature is one of the most remarkable poets who created a new poetic style with the special features in poetry in terms of form and conception. His thoughts about poetry have been affected by a strong background of mystical views and also surrealistic thoughts. That is why he defines the origin of true poetry as mystical or surreal believes. His poetic ideas can be seen in his poems clearly. In addition, Adonis's impression of mysticism texts is an important topic which correlates his opinions to Surrealism school in the contemporary century. However, Mavaqef and Mokhatebat’s effect, written by Mohammad M. Abdol Jabbar Neffary, on Adonis’s critical ideas about the poem makes close his poetic approach to Neffary’s mystical attitudes. Mavaqef va Mokhatebat has been effective on his ideas generally and his points of view on poetry and position of poets specifically more than every other text.
2. Review of Literature
The researches that has been done so far about Adonis has been mainly focused on the study of his views and poems, either in the context of research books on Arabic poetry or in independent work such as “Poetic Development of Adonis” (Ahmad Yusuf Davud); In addition to his poetic thoughts and views, Adonis has been the subject of researches that compare him with other poets which attempt to express his ideas by establishing similarities or differences between their views. For example: "Adaptation of Sohrab and Adonis Sufis" by Mohammad Sadiq Sepehrinia, "Myth in Adonis and Shamlou's Poetry" by Sayed Babak Farzaneh, and "Comparative Study of Myths in Shamlou and Adonis's Poetry" by Seyed Fazlullah Mirqaderi. Also "Adonis in the Field of Contemporary Arab Poetry and Criticism" by Abbas Arab is one of the works written about his position in poetry. But a reviewing all the researches done so far on Adonis, shows no independent research has yet been published on the impact of the "Mavaqef" on Adonis's language, thought and method.
By scrutinizing and carefully reviewing Adonis' views and his attitude towards the poetry and poets, not only is it possible to explain his poetry in depth and doctrine, but also his poetic views can be generalized to contemporary poetry and, in general, to true poetry and be a poetic criterion for poems. This paper has tried to show Adonis's impression of “Mavaqef” in his poetic ideas by using a descriptive- analytic method. Some of the indications of Adonis’s impression of Neffary are establishing “magazine of Mavaqef” by him and citations taken from Mavaqef in his works. But that is not all; we can see more important influences from Neffary’s thoughts on Adonis’s view about poetry, regarding closeness between poetry and mysticisms in some basic aspects. Language, theme, and method are the basic aspects which based on, Adonis’s impression of Neffary in mystical views will be examined. Since interpretation and explanation of poetry is based on not only its conception but also poet’s ideas about poetry, understanding the Adonis’s poetry themes somehow is possible through understanding his points of view about the poetry.
3. Method
This is a descriptive-analytical research. First, the related ideas of Adonis are descripted and then, their roots in Mavaqef va Mokhatebat, followed by the analysis of the examples, will be analyzed.
4. Results and Discussion
This paper shows that there are three items (language, theme, and method) which correlate Neffary and Adonis’s opinions together. Adonis has been influenced by Neffary's attitude towards language and what we call Shat’h in Neffary’s language can be called Ebda’a in Adonis’s language. Adonis has been influenced by Mavaqef in some important mystical themes such as unification, dynamism and cognition. His own poetry was influenced by powerful effect from both Neffary's Mavaqef and western schools views.
5. Conclusion
For Adonis, Mavaqef is the most significant representation of true mysticism and mysticism is the most important presentation of tradition. Adonis combines the tradition of mysticism with his modern ideas about poem and creates a new poetic style in his poetries. For language, he follows a kind of ambiguity which has already been used in Mavaqef. Regarding theme, Adonis tends to link poetry to universe with a mystical view in the way Abdol Jabbar Naferri particularly had done in Mavaqef. Regarding method, he tries to follow Abdol Jabbar Neffary as a mystic has already gone with the special individual experiences during the composing a new poem. Adonis, by establishing a strong link between tradition and modernity, places particular attention on the approach of the traditional mysticism to the universe, and places Mavaqef as the main representative of his tradition in connection with modernism. Adonis's poetic view can be a blend of tradition and modernity.
reza mohammadi
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Eliot and Adonis believe that tradition and the individual talent are indicative of two fundamental concepts; i.e., mind and language. Mind as the subject perceives phenomena and represents them in the form of language. From their viewpoint, mind and language are so ...
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Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Eliot and Adonis believe that tradition and the individual talent are indicative of two fundamental concepts; i.e., mind and language. Mind as the subject perceives phenomena and represents them in the form of language. From their viewpoint, mind and language are so interwoven that language equals existence .From Heidegger's point of view, these two concepts are closely related to the concept of "time"in philosophy. This relationship was investigated under the name of "tradition" in the present study. On the other hand, there is the concept of "the individual talent" which can be investigated as "psychoanalytic criticism" from Freud's point of view. The present study was aimed at investigating the concepts of mind, language, and time from the viewpoint of Eliot and Adonis. Taking into account a poetic view of existence, it finally presents a general overview of the ideas of these two Arab and English poets.
2.The relationship between mind, language, and time from Adonis's viewpoint
Taking into account Adonis's theories of existence and phenomena, we find out that he was also influenced by noumenon and phenomenon. Adonis considers literature as a literary man's perception of nature. His viewpoints regarding the perception of literature are completely obvious in his books Zaman al-Shir, Siyasat al-Shi'r, and Arab Poetics .Literature is a ubiquitous feeling of our being that creates phenomena anew, exposing them to eternal questioning. This feeling emanates from the metaphysic or the mind that has heuristic view of things; one can say, therefore, that the new literature is the metaphysicality of human.
(Zaman al-Shiʻr, p.10). This definition includes some key concepts that need to be explained. The first concept is that of emotion, which is a part of brain function. The second one is that of existence. Since Adonis has used "our being "in his definition, it is evident that his view is subjective/objective. It means that human being defines the world and existence in connection with self in this perception and does not define self in connection with God. The third concept is that of noumenon which is deduced from "appearance" and means the constitution of objects in themselves . The fourth one is that of phenomenon meaning manifestation of objects which is included in the key word " heuristic " and the last concept is that of "metaphysics" which is the same as the concept of "mind" in Western philosophy which influenced Adonis as well. Therefore, Adonis considers literature as manifestation of nature constituted in human mind .Like the Western philosophers and literary men, Adonis as a literary man and an ontological critic pays attention to "existence" and how to define its relationship to human being which is the same as what we see in noumenal/phenomenal or objective/subjective viewpoints.
3. Writing and speech from Adonis's point of view (Interpretation based on Eliot's theory of new criticism)
From among the approaches of the science of interpretation, what is of significance in this study is hermeneutics with regard to new criticism. Paying too much attention to a text is the obvious characteristic of this viewpoint. From Eliot and Adonis's viewpoint, the theory of new criticism is a kind of secondary revision of a literary text which fills the gaps and diminishes the contradictions in order to attain coherence, deep structure or original meaning. The aim is to make the text more comprehensible to the readers so that it paves the way for the reader who doesn’t want to deal with unjustifiable irregularities (Eagleton,1996, p248). Therefore, like Husser land other phenomenologists, the followers of this school such as Adonis and Eliot are in quest of the original meaning in literary texts. Therefore, literary works are representative of human values and new criticism of a text is an objective, practical, and impartial one.
4. Language and Time in Adonis's Poetry
Adonis believes that not only human but also the universe is limited to the concept of language. This concept is in close connection with the concept of time. From Gadamer's point of view, the content of a literary work is by no means limited to the author's intentions. When there is a change in the historical and cultural context of a literary work, new meanings might be found in it which have by no means been already predicted either by the author or the contemporary audience. In his opinion, any interpretation of a literary work which belongs to the past includes a dialogue between the past and the present. This attitude toward literature is completely evident in Eliot and Adonis's works: As a result, Adonis like Heidegger believes in the existence of human nature and like Gadamer he believes that everyone's capacity of knowledge can be displaced.
5. Overall Conclusion
From the Western intellectuals' point of view, metaphysics is in the mind and language and it is considered to be an absolutely mental and lingual issue in ontology of literature and is categorized under the heading of "the science of linguistics and semiology". Adonis who was excessively influenced by the western philosophers and linguists such as Martin Heidegger and Hans-Georg Gadamer considers literature as a merely mental and lingual issue which is mainly concerned with the concepts of existence and time. As a result, Adonis like western intellectuals believes that language is considered as the foundation of metaphysics and any occult phenomenon like spirit and the concept of presence is considered to belong to the areas of the mind and language. This group of poets attempt to reproduce nature and the universe in their poetic and mental world. In Adonis's opinion, subject and not object is of originality. Language is considered as the universe in this approach which has taken a very high position in Adonis's literature. In his book entitled Sufism and Surrealism, Adonis attempts to make a connection between Islamic sufism and surrealism. However, this book is also indicative of the fact that he couldn't free himself of subjectivism and mentalism and his viewpoint is the same as that of Noumenon and Phenomenon from the point of view of Kant and Husserl.
Key words: Tradition, Individual Talent, Mind, Language, Time, Eliot, Adonis.
References (in Persian)
Eagelton, T.(1996).Literary Theory an Introduction (1sted.). Iran: Markaz Press.
Selden ,Raman .(2005). A reader's guide to contemporary literary (A. Mokhber, Trans.).Tehran: Tarhe Now Press.
Richard, H. (2007). History introductory: An Barthes to Plato from theory Literary(B. Sjokat, Trans.). Tehran: Gilan University press.
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MoqaddamAlavi, M. (1998).Structuralism and formalism.Criticism Literary of Theories Contemporary. Tehran: Samt press.
Bressler, Ch. (2007). Literary Criticism (An Introduction to Theory and Practice) (1sted.) (M. Abedinifard, Trans.) Iran: Niloofar Press.
Davis, R. (2011). Modern literary criticism (A collection of Articles) (3rded.) (H. Lajavardi, et al. Trans.). Iran: Press and Publications Organization.
Hall, V. (2000). A Short History of Literary Criticism (1sted.) (A. Hemmati, Trans.). Iran: Rowzaneh Press.
References (in Arabic)
Adonis, (1985).Al-Sheriah Al-Arabiah. Beirut: Dar Al-Aadaab.
Adonis, (1981).Siasat Al-Shear. Beirut: Dar Al-Aadaab.
Adonis, (1983).Zaman Al-Shear. Beirut: Dar Al-Owdah.
Adonis , (1990).Kalam Al-Bedayat. Beirut: Dar Al -Aadaab.
Adonis, (1980). Fatehat L- Nehayat Al-Garn. Beirut: Dar Al-Owdah.
Adonis , (1992). Al-SoofiahVa Al-Sorealiah. Beirut: Dar Al-Sagi.
