An analysis of the hidden discourse of dual confrontations in Anvari’s ghazals based on Rafaterian stylistics

Ahmoody, Shirin; Modarresi, Fatemeh

doi:10.22034/caat.2025.541830.1149

An analysis of the hidden discourse of dual confrontations in Anvari’s ghazals based on Rafaterian stylistics

10.22034/caat.2025.541830.1149

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 07 February 2026

Critique, Analysis and Aesthetics of Texts

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

shirin ahmoody ¹

fatemeh modarresi ²

¹ PhD candidate in Persian language and literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

² Professor of Persian language and literature at Urmia University

Abstract

Anvari is a 12th-century (6th century AH) poet whose ghazals, like those of Sa'di and the poetry of Iraj Mirza, are considered deceptively simple (sahl-e mumtani'). Beneath this apparent simplicity lie complex artistic intricacies whose analysis requires an understanding of the textual context. This study employs the framework of Riffaterre's Stylistics to uncover the hidden discourse within Anvari's ghazals. The research methodology is descriptive-analytical and focuses on identifying linguistic mechanisms, including "hypograms" and "semantic accumulations".

Key findings reveal that binary oppositions—such as love and suffering, union and waiting, meaning and meaninglessness—function as tools for encoding Anvari's social and ideological critiques. The inversion of traditional symbols (e.g., transforming patience into self-annihilation, or substituting waiting for union) serves as the primary mechanism for challenging the dominant discourses of Anvari's poetic era. The results confirm that these techniques transform the text into a resistant network against superficial readings and provide the capacity to engage in dialogue with modern discourse theories.

Subjects