نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

موضوعات

• زبان و ادبیات فارسی

عنوان مقاله English

Analysis of the Narrative Structure of the Surface and Deep Levels of the Tale "The Account of the Circumstances of Būsahl Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn Zūzanī ʿĀriḍ and His Arrest" in Bayhaqī’s History Based on Greimas’ Actantial Model

نویسنده English

کلیدواژه‌ها English

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

Narratology is a discipline that examines the inseparable elements of a story’s theme as a unified whole and, by deconstructing its components, analyzes the events within its internal structure. This systematic field, using its analytical framework, provides an effective schema for studying narratives and stories. As a structuralist approach with a strong analytical foundation, narratology seeks to identify a comprehensive and universal model for interpreting narrative texts. In essence, it explores the core of a story and the relationships between its components, solidifies the underlying structure of its design, and organizes the creative ideas and thoughts that give rise to both positive and negative experiences within the narrative, ultimately presenting them in a coherent and meaningful form. Through this process, narratology reveals the deep structures underlying these experiences and events, offering new perspectives and insights. Greimas is one of the foremost theorists in the field of narratology, best known for his actantial model, which consists of six actants: the sender (or requester), the receiver, the object, the helper, the opponent, and the hero. In some narratives, the hero coincides with the receiver, while in others, these roles remain distinct; in all cases, the actions of the hero are shaped by the interactions with other actants. According to Greimas, some stories feature all six actants, while others employ only a subset of them. Due to its adaptability and structural clarity, Greimas’ actantial model aligns seamlessly with narrative texts and has become one of the most influential methods for analyzing stories, their heroes, characters, and constituent elements.

METHODOLOGY 

Since narratology is rooted in structuralism, applying a structuralist approach to classical literary texts allows hidden meanings to emerge with striking clarity and significance, enriching the value of the events depicted. This perspective offers new and unique insights into the layered complexity of historical narratives and stories. Using Greimas’ actantial model, the realistic and well-structured events of such texts—organized through coherent, purposeful plots and rich narrative frameworks—can be systematically critiqued and analyzed. This model revitalizes literary texts by focusing on their analytical and substantive dimensions, uncovering deeper levels of meaning. By emphasizing the construction of narrative phenomena, it opens new avenues for researchers, enabling innovative analyses and revealing previously unexplored aspects of themes and meanings within these works.

RESULTS

In this story, Abū al-Fazl Bayhaqī serves as an omniscient third-person narrator—an all-knowing voice present throughout the events, fully aware of the thoughts, emotions, and motivations of every character. He possesses complete knowledge of the personalities, events, dialogues, and behaviors within the narrative, allowing him to present a comprehensive and authoritative account. At the outset, after setting the scene and establishing the initial situation, Bayhaqī introduces the key characters, emphasizing their defining traits to lay the groundwork for the central conflict. While he occasionally presents characters directly, revealing only limited details as the plot unfolds, at other times he withholds information to heighten narrative tension. Unlike many narratives that incorporate characters from various social strata to diversify the story’s scope, this tale centers on figures drawn primarily from the upper echelons of society, reflecting the hierarchical and courtly context of Bayhaqī’s History. With this framework, the present article examines the functions, interactions, and motivations of the characters in “The Account of Būsahl Muhammad ibn Hosain Zūzanī Arez and His Capture” from both a surface-level and intratextual perspective, using Greimas’ actantial model as its analytical lens. This approach illustrates how narratological analysis enhances our understanding of the story’s structure, deep layers, and narrative evolution, offering insights into its construction from multiple structural and thematic dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS 

This tale encompasses events, settings, conflicts, achievements, and various narrative elements that warrant close examination through the lens of narratology, particularly by applying Greimas’ actantial model. By analyzing the story’s structural phenomena and the interplay between its surface and deep structures, the underlying causes of its narrative cohesion—as well as the sophistication of its imagery and construction—can be systematically uncovered. Such an approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the text and a more rigorous appreciation of its intrinsic literary value. The research methodology of this study is library-based, employing a descriptive-analytical framework supported by document analysis and systematic note-taking. Data analysis is conducted qualitatively, following an inductive reasoning approach. Through this method, the study examines the thematic and structural dimensions of the tale, demonstrating a strong correlation between the narrative’s structural composition (analyzed through Greimas’ actantial pattern) and its rich thematic content in achieving narrative coherence and purpose. A detailed examination of both the external (surface) and internal (deep) layers of the story further reveals the presence of actantial substitutions—a narrative phenomenon that highlights the dynamic relationships among the actants and elements of the tale, ultimately guiding the story toward its resolution.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript.

Keywords: Narrative Structure, Bayhaqī’s History, Narrative Text, Greimas’ Actantial Pattern.