CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2014
| Author | Bozorgmehr, Ghazaal |
|---|---|
| Title | Gender, Monstrosity and Nationalism: A Comparative Study of Two Plays by Bahram Beyzaie with the Legend of Zahhak in The Shahnameh |
| Summary | This thesis explores two plays written by Bahram Beyzaie, the contemporary Iranian Playwright. The plays are titled Azhdahak (1959) and The Thousand First Night (2003). Both plays are based on the myth of Zahhak which appears in The Shahnameh or The Book of Kings, the classic book of Persian epic poetry in the eleventh century. The purpose of this study is to discover how the playwright has managed to offer a subversive and a feminist reading of The Shahnameh version of the legend Zahhak and has thus given voice to the characters that were silent in The Shahnameh. To analyze these plays, Beyzaie’s theory on the connection between the Zahhak legend and The Thousand and One Nights was critical. In addition, I used theories on storytelling and also theories on monsters. As a minor inquiry, I also explored the traditional Iranian art of Naghali or dramatic storytelling which is a solo performance associated with the recitation and performance of The Shahnameh. The purpose of this minor investigation was to analyze two performances by two women one performing the Zahhak from The Shahanmah and one performing The Thousand and First Night. In this analysis I attempted to foreground the possibilities of a feminist reading of the texts. |
| Supervisor | Lukic, Jasmina |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2014/bozorgmehr_ghazaal.pdf |
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