زن در فرهنگ و هنر (Sep 2022)
A Comparative Exploration of Desirable Femininity in Folk Literature of Iran and Europe: A Case Study on the Transformation of Matrimony in Two Legends of Shāhmār and Beauty and the Beast
Abstract
AbstractUrban legends and fairytales use symbols and archetypes to bring forth, and describe, individual and collective actions and reactions in a society. Using an approach of both descriptive and comparative nature, the present article uses narrative analysis method to conduct an exploration of two similar legends of Beauty and the Beast, from European culture, and Shāhmār, from Iranian culture. The research question is the following; in the two narratives under study, what is described as the ideal epitome of a woman through the evolutionary course of moving from girlhood to womanhood by means of marriage? To answer this question, using the notion of “transformation” in the ideas of John Hinnells as well as the description of marriage as the “transformation of matrimony” based upon the ideas of Joseph Campbell about the evolutionary journey of mythical heroes, the condition of the heroines of both legends- along their path that leads to transformation of matrimony- was studied and analyzed. The results of the research show that the evolution of the heroine of Beauty and the Beast is based upon going past the state of girlhood to the state of womanhood by means of love and union with a creature which looks like a beast, a creature whose hidden inner beauty is unveiled and revealed after experiencing love, leading to the end of the story. In Shāhmār, however, love and union is created only when human nature of the beast is revealed, as this is the point where the eventual evolution of woman, namely, accepting the role of motherhood, starts; protecting the love and matrimony is thus introduced as the ideal and that which is of prime importance.
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