Interdisciplinary Studies of Literature, Arts and Humanities

Abstract The “Imaginal world” is the link between the material and immaterial universes. In other words, this world is an interworld whose events and elements are situated between the material and the intellectual worlds. Henry Corbin, by combining the phenomenology of Husserl (and other philosophers of this school) with the views of the great Eastern thinkers, especially with those of Shaikh al-Ishraq’s, discovers this world. He, then, examines different texts from the point of view of this interworld. Among the texts that can be studied by the criteria of the imaginal are the stories of Samad Behrangi, an author who is generally known to be influenced by Marxist thought and is considered as one of the most prominent figures in children's literature. This paper employs a descriptive-analytical method to examine the elements of the imaginal in two of Behrangi’s stories, “Talḵhun,” and "the Sigh". According to the findings of this study, some of the elements of the imaginal in these stories include, the subjective nature of time, disobeying physical geography, defying the properties of the matter, following the imagination in gaining understanding and awareness, embodiment and embodiment of meanings, and conscious action emanating from the non-conscious. Based on the present research, many of Behrangi's stories will fall outside the Marxist thought. 

Abstract Existentialism is an intellectual-philosophical current that considers man as the center of existence, in which man, with all his existential and mental dimensions, is confronted with various problems, especially ontological problems. Albert Camus and Sadegh Hedayat were among the authors whose components of the school of existentialism are found in some of their stories. The present article uses analytical-comparative method to study the principles and features of existential philosophy in Albert Camus' alien novel and the story of Sadegh the stray dog. The results of this study show that most of the components of the school of existentialism are present in these two works, explaining that some components such as "loneliness" and "nostalgia" are more prominent in the story of the stray dog, some components such as "Meaninglessness and emptiness" and "pessimism and skepticism" are stronger in the alien, and some components such as "hope and despair", "determinism" and "mortalism and suicide" are exchanged in both works.

Abstract As sources of inspiration, foreign literary and artistic works can effect change in contemporary Persian literature. In some cases, this inspiration has been provided by cinematic works. In the process, Iranian writers have often domesticated the source text to adapt it to the Iranian culture.  For instance, Akhavan Sales' "Then, after the Thunder" inspired by Bergman's philosophical film, The Seventh Seal has changed the original in many respects to appease the local readers. The present study intends to explicate the domestication strategies used in the move from the source text to the destination text, based on Yuri Lotman's theory of semiotics. The paper shows that Akhavan Sales mostly tries to stay within the boundaries of tradition by limiting his functional space. For this purpose, he draws on linguistic localization in the form of linguistic archaism, application of common slang words and expressions, and the social function of language. Moreover, Akhavan Sales applies pictorial, historical, geographical, political and social domestication to bring the foreign text closer to the destination culture. Nevertheless, in a few cases, the poet innovates by taking liberties in his explicitly employing non-indigenous elements.

Abstract In this article, by way of reviewing Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s views on “Subaltern Studies,” we will study her recent work in Comparative Literature. Spivak, who has constantly positioned herself against the elitist structure and discourse of the humanities in both Western and developing societies, believes that the comparative study of world literature, which today is in tandem with the capitalist logic of globalization, requires a methodological reorganization beyond the Eurocentric history of the discipline, as well as a turn to language learning from subaltern communities, including the refugees, the labour migrants, and other victims of the history of imperialism and global capitalism. In the pages that follow, by reading a selection of Spivak’s work—“Can the Subaltern Speak?” (1985), Death of a Discipline (2003), and “Rethinking Comparativism” (2009)—we will answer this question: Will postcolonial literary traditions (such as Persian literature) have the opportunity to express themselves on the global stage from within the framework of Comparative Literature? Spivak’s response is “Yes,” subject to the growth of the critic’s awareness of the inequalities prevalent in the global literary system, and the deconstruction of literary studies towards a discipline which Spivak calls “new comparative literature”: a new paradigm that is based on “deep language learning,” and the analysis of the culture and literature of the “subaltern” peoples.

Abstract A translated text emerges as a third code via the source code being confronted by the target code (i.e. the confrontation between Self and Other). The third code included both source and target codes, but establishes itself as a separate code with specific standards. The third code has numerous manifestations and may deviate either from TL system or from TL norms of usage. The purpose of the present conceptual research was to identify and explain the factors influencing third code and its acceptance in target language translations. The results indicate that in the presentation and acceptance of this new code in translations and its acceptance in the target culture, a range of linguistic, paralinguistic, psychological, political, and sociological factors have a role. The factors are categorized and summarized under eight main areas: the status of SL and TL, the status of translators and translation in the TL community, the role of translators, the role of readers, the role of editors, the role of paratextual and extratextual factors, the purpose of translation, and publishing policies in the TL.

Abstract This comparative study examines the relationship between the dominant discourses of the filmic adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth in the 21^st century. In Scotland, PA (2001) directed by Billy Morrissette, the effect of the dominant discourses of 1970s are examined to demonstrate the ways in which the powerful economically repress the poor in the American society. A close analysis of the social, historical and cultural contexts in this adaptation shows the ways in which cinematic adaptations of literary works are influenced by their social and cultural contexts. In other words, Morrissette has created a new work of art by recreating the seventeenth century Shakespearean play within the context of modern time discourses. The theoretical framework of this study is based on Linda Hutcheon's theory of adaptation and Robert Stam’s model of intertextual dialogism. The paper shows how in today's world, power-seeking, discrimination and inequality persist and how the powerful draw on new and more complicated practices to continue their exploitation of the downtrodden.

Abstract The issue of “reality” and its representation in artistic works has been one of the major concerns of artists and theorists since classical times, which came to its climax in the mid-nineteenth century when following scientific advances and social changes, including the invention of photography, European painters and writers treated the issue more directly and precisely. This resulted in the formation of a movement named “Realism,” which aimed at recording external reality accurately and objectively, especially social reality and the condition of the lower classes. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (1957) is a narrative movie based on a true story and containing several Realist elements. The director claimed that it was a “documentary” faithfully representing truth, without any directorial interference. After a brief comparative account of the concepts of “reality” and “realism” in philosophy and cinema, the present study, adopting André Bazin’s theory of realism in the cinema, investigates the realistic dimensions of this movie to see whether, despite the filmmaker’s claim and the presence of certain realistic features, it can be ultimately regarded as a realistic work or not. The analysis of the movie shows that not only does The Wrong Man have subjective aspects, but it has not also been greatly faithful to the true incident and, thus, it does not correspond to Bazin’s conception. This discussion eventually leads to the question of whether, given the autonomous, external existence of objective reality, it is possible to represent it faithfully and impartially in artistic media.

Abstract This research traces the changes made to Shakespeare’s Hamlet by The Simpsons which is a medium different from literature. In one part of The Simpsons, a TV series with global popularity, a short adaptation of Hamlet is presented. In this article, this series is examined to understand how the medium uses Hamlet to criticize the American life style. This study investigates the transition of canonical literature to popular culture and adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to search the interactions of literature and media. First off, the generic conventions of The Simpsons and the history of its characters will be explained, and then the questions posed by Linda Hutcheon in adaptation studies will be addressed. This research indicates that the adaptation of Hamlet in The Simpsons, on the one hand parodies the highbrow culture and canonical literature, and on the other hand criticizes the stereotypes of the American nuclear family through exaggerated humor. Cultural critics in the United States have critiqued The Simpsons' ideological content but in Iran, animations have rarely received critical attention. This article will investigate how The Simpsons have responded to high culture through double adaptation.

Abstract During the Arab literary movement and by the beginning of the Arab world's interactions with Europe in the early nineteenth century, comparative literature gradually spread to the Arab countries. Since then, comparative literature in the Arab world has faced ups and downs and has gone through various stages of development, and there have been many efforts in this respect, especially, in Arab universities as centres for its development. The emergence, development and different stages the comparative literature has gone through in the Arab world are topics that need investigation, and the present paper deals with this history. For this purpose, the paper focuses on universities and the relevant academic researches on this discipline until the end of the twentieth century through a historical analytical lens. The results show that although by the end of the twentieth century comparative literature in the Arab world has significantly evolved as a result of its development, growth and dissemination, compared to the Western world, it has only put behind its embryonic stage and the research still face many difficulties. Therefore, in general and even in comparison with other literary studies, comparative literature has not reached the status it deserves.

Abstract Postcolonial theory and comparative literature are both transnational and transcultural, and have an inseparable connection with the “other”. Even the greatest postcolonial theorists like Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak have been, firstly, well-known comparatists. The novel Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih is one of the greatest Arabic novels of the twentieth century and one of the most important novels in the world. This research uses a descriptive-analytical method based on the concepts of postcolonial theory to examine the images of the colonizer and the colonized in this novel. The confrontation between the East and the West from the point of view of Edward Said, Homi Bhabha’s notions of “hybridity” and “the third space” and Spivak’s concept of “subalternity” are the most important theoretical concepts deployed in this research. The novel re-enacts the experience of the conflict between the East and the West, which is in fact, a reflection of the narrator's internal conflict as well as his conflict with the post-colonial Sudanese society. The main character (Mustafa Sa’eed), despite his "hybridity", could never inhabit the "third space” from Homi Bhabha's perspective. Hosna, the wife of the novel's protagonist, and the farmers and workers of Sudanese rural community are also among the colonized whose voices are never heard.

Abstract This paper explains the Eastern origins of world literature from Goethe’s view point. In 1813, Goethe became acquainted with Hafez's Divan through Hammerpurgestal's translation, and following Hafez, he composed his West-Eastern Divan. But almost a decade after the Divan was composed, in his conversation with Ackerman, Goethe used the term "world literature" for the first time, because he believed that national literature had lost its meaning and that the age of world literature had arrived. However, it seems that Goethe's invention of this term, did not take place independently and away from the influence of Eastern culture and literature, especially that of Hafiz's Divan. The argument is that Goethe's West-Eastern Divan is a work that has emerged through Goethe's encounter with the translation of Oriental literary works and, in particular, and most importantly, Hafez's sonnets. For Goethe, world literature is neither a body of national literatures nor a collection of the world’s literary masterpieces, but rather, a dynamic process of interaction between the world’s nations, with the aim of breaking down the walls of national prejudice that have damaged peaceful coexistence among the people of the world. Therefore, this paper explicates the status of world literature through Goethe's reading of Hafez.

Abstract Today, educational and academic institutions have globally turned to complex, multifaceted and interdisciplinary developmental approaches to sciences. Such approaches necessitate having a vision and perception of complex, multisector, and multidimensional issues on the part of institutions. Iranian universities are no exception; and therefore, they have adopted a problem solving, multilateral approach to academic education and research and emphasize the importance of the relationship between education and industry. The present paper aimed to answer two important questions: has the formation of an interdisciplinary approach really started in universities? What are the general obstacles and challenges on the way of designing and developing interdisciplinarity in the Iranian academic system? Then, a qualitative method, multiphase coding and thematic analysis have been used to analyze texts of 30 semi-structured interviews, 26 articles and 11 speeches. Regarding the main research question, results indicated that an interdisciplinary approach has not yet been formed in the Iranian academic system. The main obstacles on the way of achieving interdisciplinarity consist of 8 main themes, 104 sub-themes and 120 concepts. They consist of educational, professional, psychological, intersectional, structural, bureaucratic, financial, socio-cultural and managerial obstacles, the hegemony of classic disciplines and also a lack of effective law. Finally, 6 strategies and policy implementations were offered as the solutions to these obstacles.

Abstract The Persian Whitman is comprised of an introduction, nine chapters, a conclusion and an appendix. The book is an interdisciplinary study. On the one hand, it deals with Comparative Literature (reception studies and imagology) and Literary Criticism (New Historicism), on the other hand, it deals with Translation Studies (translation and ideology and Genette’s paratextual elements). The Persian Whitman is about Whitman’s reception in Iran in a period of 100 year. To sum up, The Persian Whitman is a methodologically innovative, original, and well-documented interdisciplinary study. The author’s ideas, interpretations, and conclusions are logical and convincing. More importantly, it is full of innovative readings of familiar and often ignored materials. Putting some unnecessary repetitions aside, The Persian Whitman is a well-organized book which one enjoys reading and learning from. It is highly recommended to those interested in Iranian studies, Comparative Literature, Translation Studies, American literature, and Modern Persian Literature. Key words Comparative Literature, Comparative Literature, Persian Whitman, Reception studies, interdisciplinary study

Abstract Around the World in 80 Books is the latest book of David Damrosch, Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University. He is a leading theorist in this field and has already written several books to explain his theory of World Literature both in theoretical and practical aspects including What Is World Literature? (2003), How to Read World Literature? (2009), Teaching World Literature (2009), World Literature in Theory (2014) and Comparing Literatures: Literary Studies in a Global Age. Generally speaking, in all these works, Damrosch is focusing on two important notions: first, World Literature is a new trend in Comparative Literature studies which crosses national, linguistic and cultural borders and includes, in fact, the whole literature of the world; second, to get rid of the chronic Eurocentrism of Comparative Literature, we must take advantage of translation. Around the World in 80 Books is written with such an intention in mind.

The book is organized in sixteen chapters. Damrosch's itinerary starts from London, where Phileas Fogg started his journey in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days (1872) and takes his reader to all around Europe, Turkey, Oman, Egypt and African countries, Near and Middle Eastern countries (including Iran, of course), India, and Far Eastern countries as China and Japan, and then to Central America and Latin America and comes back to London at the end of his journey. The Introduction of the book: "The Voyage Out" is a charming narrative of Damrosch's youth life when he decides to attend a chorus where he meets "an alto with a lovely smile" (10). Around the World in 80 Books is a project coming to fruit in times of Covid-19, a gloomy era in modern man's experience and an opportunity to travel the world around one's room. Damrosch's trip takes sixteen weeks from May through August 2020. The book "explores works that have responded to times of crisis and deep memories of trauma" (13). More importantly, Damrosch contends: "All of us who want to venture beyond the boundaries of our own country need to be vigilant in not succumbing to reductive cultural stereotypes, whether reflexively negative or patronizingly positive, and we need to push back against market mechanisms that limit the variety of works available to us" (14). One cannot agree with Damrosch more when he says that "influential translations can spur innovation in the host language itself" (16). "…literature can inform our sense of ourselves and our world, particularly in difficult times" (17). Around the World in 80 Books is a must-read book for those interested in World Literature. " Lector, intende: laetaberis" (17).