Analyzing the Performative Potential of Jame‘ al-Hekayat through the Lens of Brechtian Epic Theatre
Document Type : پژوهشی اصیل
Authors
1
Master’s degree in Dramatic Literature from the Honar shiraz, shiraz, Iran
2
Former instructor in the Department of Dramatic Literature at the Honar shiraz and currently a PhD student (second doctorate) in Folklore at the University of Louisiana, USA
10.48311/cfl.2025.86474.0
Abstract
Folk literature, especially within the tradition of storytelling and naqqāli, incorporates performative elements that transcend purely literary features and make it suitable for theatrical analysis. Jāmeʿ al-Ḥekāyāt is a collection of legends and tales compiled during the Safavid era. The version used in this study, edited by Pegāh Khadīsh and Mohammad Jaʿfarī (Qanavātī) based on manuscripts from the Astan Quds Razavi Library, is regarded as one of the most significant sources of folk and oral literature. The presence of an episodic structure, alienation techniques, the narrator’s direct intervention, the inclusion of poetry and song, and the embedding of secondary narratives within the main story make this work a rich subject for comparison with modern theatrical theories. While earlier analyses of such texts often relied on the Aristotelian model of theater, this article proposes a new approach to their dramatic examination through Bertolt Brecht’s theory of epic theater, using a descriptive-analytical method based on library sources. The findings show that many structural and narrative components, such as the alienation effect, nonlinear composition, active narrator, and multilayered storytelling, correspond to the principles of epic theater. The results can open new paths for comparative studies between Persian folk narratives and modern dramatic theories and provide a basis for adapting classical texts to localized dramatic performances.
Keywords
Subjects
Ahmadi, A. (2021). Life of Galileo, with a discussion on Brecht’s works and thoughts (11th ed.). Niloufar [In Persian].
Aliabadi, H. (1992). Commonalities and differences between ritual theatre and contemporary Iranian drama and Western theatre, especially Brecht’s. Theatre Quarterly, 22, 169–178 [In Persian].
Amini, M. R. (2005). A reflection on the theatrical aspects of Persian literature. Social and Human Sciences Journal, 22(1), 204–216 [In Persian].
Aristotle. (2019). Aristotle and the art of poetry. Amir Kabir [In Persian].
Askolz, R. (2000). An introduction to structuralism in literature. Agah [In Persian].
Benjamin, W. (1968). Illuminations (translated into Farsi by H. Zohn). Schocken Books.
Brecht, B. (1978). Baal. In Die Stücke von Bertolt Brecht in einem Band. Suhrkamp.
Brecht, B. (1978). On theatre (translated into Farsi by F. Behzad). Kharazmi [In Persian].
Brecht, B. (1999). Brecht on theatre: The development of an aesthetic. Methuen.
Busuk, R. (2002). Brecht’s epic theatre as a modern avant-garde and its influence on postmodern theatre. Petra Christian University Journal, 4(2), 135–147.
Esslnn, M. (2019). What is theatre? (translated into Farsi by Sh. Khaleghi). Niloufar [In Persian].
Estarami, E. (2011). Foundations of Brecht’s epic theatre based on “Mother Courage and Her Children.” Journal of Contemporary World Literature, 16(61), 5–24 [In Persian].
Fahimifar, A., & Yousefian-Kenari, M. J. (2013). Narrative capacities of Iranian folk literature in theatrical adaptation for TV and cinema. Journal of Folk Literature and Culture, 1(2), 129–155 [In Persian].
Hecht, W. (1972). Seven studies of Brecht. Suhrkamp.
Khadeesh, P., & Ghanvati, M. (2014). Jame‘ al-Hekayat. Maziar [In Persian].
Mahjoub, M. J. (2007). The folk literature of Iran (Vols. 1–2, edited by H. Zolfaghari). Cheshmeh [In Persian].
Mirsadeghi, J. (2007). Fiction literature (tale, romance, short story, novel) (5th ed.). Sokhan [In Persian].
Mitter, S., & Shevtsova, M. (2012). Fifty key theatre directors (translated into Farsi by M. Sepahi & M. Zamani). Bidgol [In Persian].
Nikkho, A., & Jalali-Pandari, Y. (2017). The role of narrative features in increasing the performative potential of the Naqqalan manuscript. Journal of Folk Literature and Culture, 5(13), 111–132 [In Persian]
Pourshabanan, A. (2014). A view on the performative and adaptive capacities of Khavaran-nameh by Ibn Hesam Khosfi. Journal of Comparative Literature, 3(1), 55–78 [In Persian].
Qaderi, N. (2015). The anatomy of structure in drama. Neyestan [In Persian].
Sarsangi, M. (2021). A comparative study of Taniko and Brecht’s “He Who Says Yes” and “He Who Says No.” Journal of Contemporary World Literature, 26(2), 514–547 [In Persian].
Sheikh-Mehdi, A., Tavousi, M., & Lezgi, H. (2006). Performative storytelling in Iran. Journal of Persian Language and Literature Research, 7, 115–131 [In Persian].
Tavoni, Sh. (2009). Brecht’s technique (2nd ed.). Ghatreh [In Persian].
Veselovski, A. (1940). Historical poetics. Akademia.
Yari, M. (2008). An introduction to narrative techniques in Iranian drama. In H. Haddad (Ed.), Analysis of the elements of Iranian fiction. Soureh Mehr [In Persian].
Zolfaghari, H. (2019). The folk language and literature of Iran (4th ed.). SAMT [In Persian].
