Analysis of Religious Shahrashoob in Traditional and Contemporary Persian Poetry

FARROKHNEZHAD, SAJJAD; Roozbeh, Mohamadreza; Noori Khatoonbani, Ali

doi:10.22054/ltr.2024.78157.3814

Analysis of Religious Shahrashoob in Traditional and Contemporary Persian Poetry

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Ph.D. Student of Persian language and literature. Faculty of Litertature and Humanities. Lorestan University. Khorramabad.Iran.

² Associate Professor Department of Persian language and literature. Faculty of Litertature and Humanities. Lorestan University. Khorramabad.Iran

10.22054/ltr.2024.78157.3814

Abstract

The religious shahrashoob represents a nuanced form of critique found in both traditional and contemporary Persian poets. Traditionally, shahrashoob has been categorized into three distinct types: urban, vocational, and political. However, given its objective and thematic focus, which entails challenging established structures and deviating from societal norms, laws, and cultural practices, this notion can extend to include religious dimensions as well. This observation necessitates a reconsideration of existing classifications. The religious shahrashoob is characterized by the poet's diverse objectives, including the critique of the conduct and viewpoints of religious figures and adherents across various faiths and denominations. Through this medium, poets pose critical inquiries that highlight the shortcomings and discrepancies in the behaviors and pronouncements of certain religious claimants or directly contest religious doctrines. This research employs content analysis and library resources to explore and analyze religious shahrashoob within Persian poetry. The findings reveal that this motif has consistently captured the interest of Persian-speaking poets, with practitioners from both traditional and contemporary periods occasionally incorporating this motif into their works. The motivations behind poets' engagement with religious shahrashoob, despite their own religious convictions, are varied, ranging from intellectual curiosity and skepticism, unconscious psychological drives, and personal characteristics such as a desire for fame, to broader societal challenges and even direct opposition or disagreement with religious doctrines and their proponents.

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