A Comparative Analysis of Hafez’s Creative Misreadings and the Ghazals of Owḥadī Marāgha’ī Based on Harold Bloom’s Theory

Abstract

The analysis of Persian poets' works through the lens of literary theory has consistently garnered scholarly attention and has proven adaptable to various theoretical frameworks. The theories of Anxiety of Influence and Creative Misreading, proposed by Harold Bloom—one of the most prominent American literary critics—have specifically addressed the domain of poetry and emphasized the dialectical yet agonistic relationship between later poets and their predecessors. This article aims to examine Bloom’s theory by referring to his theoretical writings and focusing on the poetry of Hafez and Owḥadī Marāgha’ī. This study investigates the ghazals of Hafez through the lens of Harold Bloom’s theory of Creative Misreading. In this theory, Bloom characterizes the interaction between later poets and the works of their precursors as an Oedipal struggle aimed at liberation from the anxiety of influence, wherein the poet, through the deliberate distortion and innovative reinterpretation of prior texts, strives to forge an independent and distinctive identity. Hafez, employing innovative linguistic and rhetorical structures, unprecedented combinations, and the generation of novel themes and concepts, surpasses the influences of Owḥadī Marāgha’ī and achieves a unique identity within Persian ghazal poetry. This research demonstrates that Hafez, through the strategic use of creative misreading elements—such as the distortion and reinvention of myths, the substitution of new tropes in place of conventional ones, and the creation of original and striking imagery—has managed to challenge literary traditions and affirm his status as one of the most distinguished poets of the Iraqi style. This article provides a detailed analysis of the processes of creative misreading in Hafez’s ghazals and conducts a comparative evaluation of his works with those of Owḥadī Marāgha’ī, ultimately revealing how Hafez, with unmatched literary power, overcame his poetic predecessors and established his place in Persian literature as a novel and influential voice.