Intertextual Analysis of the Bahman-nama and the Shahnameh and the Function of the Time and Anachronism Component Based on Gérard Genette’s Theories

Abstract

The theory of intertextuality asserts that no text comes into being independently and that a close relationship always exists between a given text and those that preceded it. The present study initially aims to examine the influence of the Bahman-nama on Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and to identify various types of transtextuality and their manifestations in the Bahman-nama in comparison to the Shahnameh, thereby opening new horizons for the analysis of classical literary texts. The element of time is one of the fundamental and essential components in the creation of any narrative or fictional work; without this element, the occurrence of events becomes impossible. Narrative unfolds within the dimension of time, and the structure of the narrative is formed through the temporal oscillations of the epic and its analeptic and proleptic sequences. In addition to intertextual analysis of the grand epic Bahman-nama, the praiseworthy work of the sage Iranshah ibn Abi al-Khayr, this paper will address the role of the spatiotemporal components in the narrative of the Bahman-nama. Decoding the narrative structure of the Bahman-nama based on Gérard Genette’s narratological theories constitutes one of the central objectives of this research.