The Analysis of the Intertextual Relationship between “Kalileh and Demneh” and “Reinecke fox” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Subject Areas : comparative literature

مهناز نوروزی ¹ , Faranak Hashemi ²

1 - PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Russian language, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University
2 - Department of German language and literature, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2025-02-25 Accepted : 2025-07-28 Published : 2025-09-27

Keywords: Intertextual study, Kalileh and Demneh, German literature, Goethe, Gérard Genette's intertextuality,

Abstract :

“Kalileh and Demneh” is one of the most famous and richest educational and didactic works in the literary and cultural heritage of the world, replete with instructive fables that have been translated into many living languages and have inspired numerous adaptations and rewriting. Its influence can be traced in the works of some European countries, including German literature. This article seeks to analyze the intertextual relationship between “Kalileh and Demneh” and the famous “Reinecke Fox” by Johann Goethe, using content analysis and historical-cultural analysis methods, relying on French school of comparative literature and applying Gérard Genette's intertextuality theory. The results of the analysis show that the intertextual relationship between these two works is of an implicit nature, and exploring the similarities and differences between them supports the notion that three chapters from “Kalileh and Demneh”, namely “The Lion and the Cow”, “Investigating the Work of Demneh”, and “The Lion and the Jackal”, can be counted among the pretexts used in the composition of the aforementioned poem. “Reynard the Fox”, a prominent work in medieval literature of the 12th century, and the stories of Aesop are among other pretexts used by Goethe. It must also be acknowledged that “Reinecke Fox” is a profound and realistic satire panorama of medieval life in the feudal system era, indicating that a work can go beyond simple adaptation and find cultural and social significance and value. Conducting such research can further validate the penetration and influence of Eastern culture and literature on the West.

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