A Comparative Study of the Elements of Metamorphosis and Tragicomic Synchronization in the Grotesque with a Focus on Contemporary Iranian Dramas: The Death of the Spider by Iraj Zohari and The Questionnaire by Ebrahim Makki
Subject Areas : sociologyFatemeh Rasti Yeganeh 1 , Mohammad Jafar Yousefian Kenari 2 * , Parastoo Mohebi 3
1 - 1. Bakhtin, Mikhail. (1984). Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics, edited and translated by Caryl Emerson, introduction by Wayne C. Booth, University of Minnesota Press. 2. Bakhtin, Mikhail. (2017). An Introduction to the Sociology of Literature, translated by Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, 2nd printing, Tehran, Cheshmeh Publishing. 3. Bloom, Harold. (2009). The Grotesque, published by Bloom’s Literary Criticism. 4. Calendoli, Giovanni. & Applin, Denise. (1978). The Theatre of the Grotesque, published by Cambridge University Press. 5. Edwards, Anthony. (2002). Historicizing the Popular Grotesque: Bakhtin's Rabelais and His World and Attic Old Comedy, published by Bakhtin and the Classic Press. 6. Makki, Ebrahim. (1991). Porseshnameh (The Questionnaire), Center for the Documentation of Performing Arts, Tehran. 7. Mohammadi Fesharki, Mohsen. (2013). A Study and Analysis of Structural Elements of the Grotesque in Selected Persian and Foreign Short Stories, Journal of Literary Studies and Research, No. 17. 8. Safaei, Ali. & Adhami, Hossein. (2012). A Study and Analysis of Grotesque Elements in the Story The Carpet Weavers’ Children by Houshang Moradi Kermani, The 6th Conference on Literary Studies, No. 24. 9. Taslim Jahromi, Fatemeh. & Talebian, Yahya. (2011). The Integration of Incongruent and Contradictory Emotions (Grotesque) in Humor and Witticism (Case Study: Parviz Shapour’s Caricatures), Kerman, Literary Techniques Quarterly, No. 1. 10. Yaghoubi Janbeh Saraei, Parsa. & Fashi, Tayebeh. (2011). Grotesque (Mixed Humor) in the Works of Jamalzadeh, Tehran, Stylistics of Persian Poetry and Prose (Bahar- e Adab), No. 13. 11. Zohari, Iraj. (2004). Marg- e Ankaboot (The Death of the Spider), Ghatreh Publishing, Tehran.
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Art, Faculty of Art, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Art, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Art, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: Metamorphosis, Tragicomic Synchronization, Grotesque, Iranian Drama, Iraj Zohari, Ebrahim Makki.,
Abstract :
Grotesque, as an expressive method in dramatic art, is a fusion of fear, humor, exaggeration, and metamorphosis that challenges the contradictions, crises, and abnormalities of the modern world through a multi-layered and complex structure by transcending the boundaries of reality. This approach, rooted in human lived experiences during periods of war, repression, and the collapse of traditional values, provides a platform for playwrights to express their psychological, social, and cultural concerns in a multifaceted form. Theoretically, this research is grounded in the ideas of Mikhail Bakhtin and Harold Bloom; Bakhtin views the grotesque as a literary carnival that carries within it the discord and collapse of meaning, while Bloom sees it as a critical method for revealing deep cultural and identity-related anxieties. Accordingly, this study conducts a comparative analysis of three components—metamorphosis, the synchronization of tragedy and comedy—in two contemporary Iranian plays: The Death of the Spider by Iraj Zohari and The Questionnaire by Ebrahim Maki. The main question of the research is how these two components, within the framework of the grotesque, articulate the contradictory and multifaceted dimensions of contemporary human existence in these dramatic works. This fundamental research has been carried out through a descriptive-analytical method, based on case studies from the plays and review of library sources. The findings reveal that, both dramas through the use of humorous language, highlight the existential complexities of characters in their confrontation with fear, identity, and downfall. Furthermore, the study emphasizes that, the creative use of the grotesque can contribute to the qualitative enhancement of playwriting in Iran and pave the way for moving beyond superficial comedic forms toward a deeper and more thoughtful approach in contemporary drama.
1. Bakhtin, Mikhail. (1984). Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics, edited and translated by Caryl Emerson, introduction by Wayne C. Booth, University of Minnesota Press.
2. Bakhtin, Mikhail. (2017). An Introduction to the Sociology of Literature, translated by Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh, 2nd printing, Tehran, Cheshmeh Publishing.
3. Bloom, Harold. (2009). The Grotesque, published by Bloom’s Literary Criticism.
4. Calendoli, Giovanni. & Applin, Denise. (1978). The Theatre of the Grotesque, published by Cambridge University Press.
5. Edwards, Anthony. (2002). Historicizing the Popular Grotesque: Bakhtin's Rabelais and His World and Attic Old Comedy, published by Bakhtin and the Classic Press.
6. Makki, Ebrahim. (1991). Porseshnameh (The Questionnaire), Center for the Documentation of Performing Arts, Tehran.
7. Mohammadi Fesharki, Mohsen. (2013). A Study and Analysis of Structural Elements of the Grotesque in Selected Persian and Foreign Short Stories, Journal of Literary Studies and Research, No. 17.
8. Safaei, Ali. & Adhami, Hossein. (2012). A Study and Analysis of Grotesque Elements in the Story The Carpet Weavers’ Children by Houshang Moradi Kermani, The 6th Conference on Literary Studies, No. 24.
9. Taslim Jahromi, Fatemeh. & Talebian, Yahya. (2011). The Integration of Incongruent and Contradictory Emotions (Grotesque) in Humor and Witticism (Case Study: Parviz Shapour’s Caricatures), Kerman, Literary Techniques Quarterly, No. 1.
10. Yaghoubi Janbeh Saraei, Parsa. & Fashi, Tayebeh. (2011). Grotesque (Mixed Humor) in the Works of Jamalzadeh, Tehran, Stylistics of Persian Poetry and Prose (Bahar- e Adab), No. 13.
11. Zohari, Iraj. (2004). Marg- e Ankaboot (The Death of the Spider), Ghatreh Publishing, Tehran.