Literary Arts (Sep 2021)
Untitled and Undated Poetry (Title of Manouchehr Atashi's Poems)
Abstract
The critics and those who study contemporary poems recognize the world of poetry and its poetics through its title. The title functions as an entry for the poem. Generally, the title has a prominent place in reading poems, enjoying the pleasure of literature, and receiving the theme. Focusing on this element leads to both knowing the status of the poet and drawing the co-ordinates and finally explaining and understanding his poetry.The category of title in modern Persian poetry is completely different from traditional and pre-existing poetry. In contemporary poetry, the title is not only for the naming but also has other tasks in terms of aesthetics, artistic, and semantic perspective. Choosing the title of the poem, on the one hand, provides the audience with a deep perception of the content while and on the other hand, after reading the poem as a compound, it helps the audience expand the semantic domain. The title can also be considered as the identity card of the poem.Manouchehr Atashi, like many poets and critical writers of his time, believes that fundamental changes in modern poetry are not limited to issues such as the meter, rhyme, theme but extends to other dimensions one of which is the selection of titles. He is a poet who has highlighted the focus on the title in contemporary Persian poetry as a necessity in terms of structure, concept, and aesthetics. By focusing on the title of the poetry, this contemporary poet has shown that making fundamental changes in poetry can be a signature, not necessarily a founding. The basis and meaning of the signature are that the poet can consider a new attitude without destroying the capacities and contents of traditional poetry, relying on some of its possibilities.In most of Atashi's poems, a tangible and meaningful relationship can be observed between the title and the text. The relationship between the titles of the collection is more based on their relationship from the perspective of the structure of components and multi-component compositions than can be seen from a semantic point of view. In addition, the predominant aspect of the poet's tendency from this perspective is towards nature and the southern climate.In poems that have no title, this element appers as a tool to expand the semantic range. The use of titles such as indicative sentences, written signs, uncomplete sentences, English sentences, etc. in harmony with the content shows the poet's view of the influential place of the title in the structure. Finally, looking at the poet's etymology, we understand well why the absence of the title does not cause a defect in traditional poetry, such as the sonnet, but many contemporary poems are entirely dependent on the existence of this component in such a way that their change could have a direct impact on the meaning and basis of poems.There seems to be a dirth of research pertaining to the subject of "title". Also, the samples for studies in the field of title do not meet the needs of the audience. Paying attention to this issue could open a new window for critics and enthusiasts to better understand this poet.The purpose of this research is to focus on four collections of Manouchehr Atashi poems: Other Song, Soil Song, Accident in the Morning, and the Last Event and show the importance of choosing titles and their dependence on the text, initiative, and creativity in choosing the title. The results show how the contemporary modern poet is well aware of the function and effect of the title of the poem and uses it as a tool to expand the semantic range of poems and instill the concepts of an audience as well as creating an impact.
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