The Ideological Square and Context Model in the Heroic Boasting of Epic Literature: Asymmetrical Representation of Self and Other and the Threefold Persuasive Function

Abstract

This article examines the heroic boasting (rajaz-khwani) of warriors in five post-Shahnameh epic poems—Garshaspnameh, Banu Goshaspnameh, Barzunameh, Samnameh, and Kushnameh—drawing on the concepts of the “ideological square” and the “context model” in Teun A. van Dijk’s theory of discourse analysis. The study aims to explain how the “Self” and the “Other” are represented, how these representations relate to power relations, and what persuasive functions heroic boasting performs. The research employs a descriptive–analytical method. Instances of heroic boasting were extracted from the five epics and analyzed in terms of the components of Self- and Other-representation, power relations, and persuasive functions. The findings indicate that the representation of the “Self” is primarily grounded in intranarrative referential evidence, including lineage, social status, and records of martial achievement, whereas the representation of the “Other” is constructed mainly through labeling, figurative comparison, and stereotyping; a pattern consistent with the logic of van Dijk’s ideological square. Analysis based on the context model demonstrates that the objective power relationship between the parties does not necessarily correspond to their discursive power, and that speakers may alter this asymmetry at the level of discourse by drawing on alternative sources of legitimacy, including religious and rational argumentation, or by redefining the situation. Furthermore, the analysis of the persuasive functions of heroic boasting reveals three principal functions: intimidation, moral legitimation, and narrative management. In its third function, heroic boasting may be employed not to intensify confrontation but to delay combat, induce doubt, propose withdrawal, or redefine the meaning of an action. Accordingly, heroic boasting in post-Shahnameh epic literature is not merely a verbal display of power; rather, it is situated discourse that contributes to the process of persuasion and the advancement of the narrative through the representation of Self and Other, the regulation of power relations, and the direction of action.