Character Analysis on Masnavi, Divine Comedy
TEHRAN.(Iranart) - S tory writer, psychologist and sculptor Manijeh Armin, 72, has undertaken a comparative character analysis of two seminal works ‘Masnavi’ written by Persian poet and scholar Rumi (1207-1273) and ‘Divine Comedy’ by Italian poet Dante (1256-1321).
Titled ‘Character Analysis on Masnavi and Divine Comedy,’ the work is being prepared for release by the Tehran-based publishing house of Sooreh Mehr, affiliated to Art Bureau (Hozeh-Honari) of Islamic Development Organization, Young Journalists Club (YJC) reported.
The book is a fruit of a research project by Armin in collaboration with literary researcher Azam Sazvar. “We highlighted the similarities and differences between the characters in Divine Comedy and Masnavi.”
“There are numerous books comparing Masnavi with Divine Comedy. Ours is a character analysis with a sociological approach. In fact, we traced the impact of the characters in social events,” Armin said.
She pointed to a common trait in Rumi and Dante: “They both were preoccupied with humanity’s salvation.”
‘Divine Comedy’ is a long narrative poem presenting an imaginative portray of afterlife. Masnavi or Masnavi Manavi is a series of six books of poetry together amounting to around 50,000 lines. It is a spiritual text that teaches how to reach the goal of being truly in love with God.