Epic and Sedition
Epic and Sedition: A Case of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh Dick Davis,
Publisher: Mage Publishers
ISBN: 1933823054
DDC: 809
Edition: Paperback; 2006-06-14
Summary:
Iran's national epic, the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, has traditionally
been regarded by both Persians and Westerners as a poem celebrating
the central role of monarchy in Persian history. In this
groundbreaking book, Dick Davis argues that the poem is far more than
a patriotic chronicle of kingly deeds. Rather, it is a subtle and
highly ambiguous discussion of authority, and far from being a
celebration of monarchy, its most famous episodes and heroes amount
to a radical critique of the institution. Davis demonstrates that the
public world of kingly authority is shadowed in the poem by a series
of tragic father-son relationships, and that in both the royal and
familial spheres, authority figures are invariably presented as
morally inferior to those whom they govern. The Shahnameh's complex
aesthetic structure and its tragic resolution of problem of authority
and hierarchy make it an artistic artifact able to take its rightful
place beside the major masterpieces of world literature. "Davis
explores the main themes of the Shahnameh with great insight and
provides some convincing answers to these questions. In doing so, he
rightly emphasizes the poet's own dramatic conception of the work,
thus rescuing it from the notion that it is simply a versified
chronicle of the kings of Iran.... Davis discusses complex
interlocking themes cogently.... The main issue emerges with great
clarity and force." -Times Literary Supplement "Davis has succeeded
in bringing alive the issues and the conflicts which inform the
Shahnameh in a study which will undoubtedly remain important for many
years to come." -Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
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