Volume 14, Issue 53 (2021)                   LCQ 2021, 14(53): 117-149 | Back to browse issues page

XML Persian Abstract Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Moharrami R, Fathi C. A Transition from Passive Nihilism in Akhavan’s Poetry. LCQ 2021; 14 (53) :117-149
URL: http://lcq.modares.ac.ir/article-29-45971-en.html
1- professor/ university of Mohaghegh Ardabili , moharami@uma.ac.ir
2- Ph.d/ university of Mohaghegh Ardabili
Abstract:   (4729 Views)
The nihilistic transition in Akhavan's poetry is the main focus of this research. Akhavan's poetry, with its modern philosophical background, contains profound meanings that make it worthy of analysis beyond the ordinary. One of the most obvious of these meanings is the dialectic of hope and despair. Akhavan's acquaintance with the ideas of modern Europe, like for instance, the philosophical ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche, led us to analyze the tendencies of the nihilistic transition of his poetry considering Nietzsche's "transition from passive nihilism to active nihilism”. Upon analysis it became clear that Akhavan's poetic thought reflects Nietzschean nihilism, as it can be traced in his views such as denying the metaphysical tendency and relying on the human will of elitism, specific views of morality, becoming, and also eternal return, considered as the way to create the superman. Thus, the results of the research showed that Akhavan's poetry, seemingly is a reflection of a kind of passive imagery. However, with a closer look, it became clear that his poems have specific formal and semantic features based on which the emotion of despair and nihilistic thought became active rather than being passive. The method of the current study was qualitative and the approach to analysis was a philosophical critique approach and it also adopted a descriptive approach.
Introduction
One of the dominant themes of contemporary Persian poetry is the dialectic of "hope" and "despair", which, above all, is the result of the socio-political factors of the age, which sometimes lead to specific philosophical insights. One of the contemporary poets of Persian is Mehdi Akhavan Sales, whose poetry is often associated with socio-political themes, but after a while, his political grief and national ideal moved towards philosophical grief and a genuine human ideal which by taking ontological questions, finally confronts his poetry with a nihilistic vision. Part of this insight is the result of the Akhavan's acquaintance with the philosophical ideas of Nietzsche (1844-1900) (see: Akhavan Sales, 1981: 146-145; Akhavan Sales, 1990: 337, 89, 40). In this regard, Nietzsche seeks to unload human knowledge from mere rationalism and replace it with emotions and feelings. He spoke in the language of life and comprehensively acknowledged life through “the will to power" and the belief in "becoming" and "eternal return" in order to re-evaluate the values ​ of the superhuman. Like Nietzsche, Akhavan separates his path from its contemporaries.
Theoretical Background
 Asadollahi and Fathi (2020), in an article, examining the types of Nietzschean nihilism in Forough Farrokhzad's poetry and analyzing the tendencies of his poetry, have acknowledged life in its specific nihilistic transition. The difference between this research and the present article expresses the different poetic thought and behavior of contemporary Persian poets with a desperate context and the nihilistic culture of their time. Mousavi and Homayoun (2009) have also investigated Nietzsche's passive absurdity in the Blind Owl. Given the theoretical foundations of Nietzschean nihilism, the authors have shown that the narrator in this work, despite much effort, is finally unable to free himself from passive nihilism and to change to active nihilism unlike Zoroaster Nietzsche.
Objectives and Questions
 The main objective of the current study is denying the continuity of absolute passive nihilism and proving the organic flow of general nihilism in Akhavan's poetry - which, like Nietzsche's system of nihilism, begins with passive nihilism but ends with active nihilism. We call this approach the "nihilistic transition" in Akhavan's poetry. Therefore, this article intends to answer the following question: What are the methods or tendencies of Akhavan's poetry in acknowledging life in the approach of Nietzschean nihilism and how do they manifest themselves?
Analysis and Discussion
In general, denial and despair are the major themes in Akhavan’s poetry. However, one can also detect a stability in his thoughts. Both of these contradicting views shape his worldview (Mokhtari, 2000: 458 - 459). Thus, although in most of Akhavan's poems a concept of futility can be seen, he also embraces life:
Whatever you want to do, you know yourself / if it is useless, or whatever it is, how many and why, / this is and there is no other./ Death says: Hmm! How useless! / Life says: But you have to live again, / you have to live, / you have to live! ... .” (Akhavan, 1991: 178)
In summary, the transition from passive nihilism to active one can be traced in these themes: Akhavan's poetic thought and style in dealing with metaphysics, the metaphorical truth in the Akhavan's view on destiny, and the manifestations of becoming and eternal return in his poetry.
 
References
Akhavan Sales, Mehdi (1981). From this Avesta, fifth edition, Tehran: Morvarid.
Akhavan Sales, Mehdi (1990). Innovations and the gift and meeting of Nima Yoshij, second edition, Tehran: Bozorgmehr.
Akhavan Sales, Mehdi (1991). In the small autumn yard in prison; Life says but you have to live ..; Hell but cold, Tehran: Bozorgmehr.
Assadollahi, Khodabakhsh and Chiman Fathi (2020). "Comparative analysis of Forough Farrokhzad's poetry and Nietzschean nihilism". Research of contemporary literature of world. No.1.pp. 29-60.
Mokhtari, Mohammad (2000). Man in Contemporary Poetry or Understanding the Presence of the Other, Tehran: Toos.
Mousavi, Seyed Kazem and Fatemeh Homayoun (2009). "Passive nonsense in the blind owl." Journal of Literary Criticism. No. 8. pp. 111-139.
Full-Text [PDF 944 kb]   (1705 Downloads)    
Article Type: Original Research | Subject: Philosophy and Literature
Received: 2020/09/12 | Accepted: 2021/03/5 | Published: 2022/03/1

Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA

Send email to the article author


Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.