A comparative study of the morphology of Persian tales based on the model of Vladimir Propp

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Postdoctoral researcher at Lorestan University, Doctoral student of Shahrekord University and university lecturer

2 Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Lorestan, Khoramabad, Iran

10.22034/scart.2025.142478.1628

Abstract

Vladimir Propp believed that in classifying tales, they should be studied by extracting their central elements, rather than imposing something on these texts from the outside. In studying tales, other empirical methods that are repeatable and accurately applicable should also be used. Emphasizing Propp's theory of structuralism, the present study seeks to analyze the overall narrative structure in a selection of fairy tales in Persian and to explain the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of Propp's theory in explaining the narrative structures of these tales and their degree of compliance with the aforementioned morphological pattern. In this study, three tales related to Bakhtiari fairies in Persian are examined based on the structural pattern of Propp's fairy tales, and the features of each tale are determined. The findings indicate that the patterns governing these tales are in some cases different from the pattern of Russian fairy tales; Propp's model is derived from the study of Russian fairy tales and differs in some respects from the model that governs the tales of other nations, including Bakhtiari tales. Many of the features found in Russian fairy tales have no place in Bakhtiari tales, and conversely, some of the features found in Bakhtiari fairy tales, including attention to spirituality, superstitions, and mythology, have no place in Propp's model.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Sociology of Culture and Art

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 31 May 2025

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