Department of Kurdish language and literature, Faculty of language and literature, Faculty member of Kurdistan studies institute. University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran , f.mohammadi@uok.ac.ir
Abstract: (176 Views)
Changing the narrative of a story as a major sign, on the one hand, indicates the unacceptability of the previous narrative in the targeted cultural society and an attempt to eliminate the reality represented in it, On the other hand, it shows that by creating a new narrative, reality has been created in accordance with the expectations of that society. The story of Joseph and Zuleikha, whose narrative in literature is fundamentally different from religious sources, is an example of the category of changing the narrative to align the story with collective desires and expectations. The discourse and semantic-value system that governs the religious narrative of this story is a moral-educational one that is based on condemning Zulaykha’s lust and betrayal, as well as valuing Joseph’s chastity. With changes and manipulations in this narrative, another narration of the story has been produced that has a completely different structure and discourse. In the literary-folk narrative, the discourse of love and infatuation prevails, in which Zuleikha, as the subject, strives with pure love to reach her beloved. The purpose of this research is to explain the factors and motivations involved in changing the narrative of this story, as well as to describe the changes made in the narrative structure and the semiotics of each of these changes. The results indicate that due to the nature of this story, an ideological basis cannot be given for the change in its narrative, so that the origin of this narrative change can be attributed to political, historical, and ideological factors. Rather, emotional, psychological, and value-based factors and motivations have played an influential role in this change in the narrative.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The story of Yusuf and Zuleikha, which appears in literature as a romantic poem, is considered an example of producing a different narrative from an existing story. Indeed, what is narrated about this story in literature is fundamentally different from its narration in religious sources and commentaries, and the difference between its narrations, in terms of value system and meaning, is such that they are completely opposed to each other. An important question to address is the origin of these differences and the factors that contributed to them. The emergence of a new narrative from an existing story is a sign that the previous narrative was not popular or did not meet the expectations of the target society for various reasons, such as cultural, ideological, political, psychological-emotional, and even personal beliefs.
Methodology
In this study, employing a descriptive-analytical method and a narratological approach, the narrative of Yusuf and Zuleikha—a poem by Khana Qobadi in Kurdish literature—is analyzed as a literary-folk narrative in comparison with the religious narrative found in the commentaries Kashf-al-Asrar and Odat-al-Abrar by Meybodi. The purpose is to explore the process of producing a new narrative from the previous narrative and to explain the narrative-forming factors in this production process.
Theoretical framework
The concepts that constitute the theoretical framework of this research fall into two areas: narrative analysis and narrative change. In the discussion of narrative analysis, issues including the discourse system, narrative structure, and subject are raised, which are related to the internal issues of the narrative. The semantic and functional relationship among these concepts are interconnected and systematic, and the nature of each depends on its role and position in that complex. Two perspectives can be identified regarding the relationship between narrative and discourse. One is that narrative inherently contains a discursive aspect; the second is that discourse plays a formative role in shaping the narrative. In the theoretical dimension of this research, the second form of this relationship is topical, and the meaning of the discourse system in a narrative text is more focused on the same central idea and meaning that the text was produced to represent. Meaning is the product of communication and structure, and the structural framework itself is planned and formulated from an initial thought (= discourse). Ultimately, the combination of micro-meanings—arising from the interconnection of various structures—and the formed structure will be a representation of that discourse. Narrative change is an important issue in discussing the emergence of different narratives of a story and the factors that influence such changes. When discussing the narrative change of a story, it implies that the discourse, semantic-value system, subject, and goals of the new narrative are different from the previous one. In the context of narrative change, two paradigms—de-realization and the construction of a new reality—are simultaneously relevant. Indeed, a teleological analysis suggests that the creation of a new narrative aimed at constructing a new reality aligns with the expectations and needs of the target audience.
Discussion and analysis
The change in the religious narrative of the story of Yusuf and Zulaikha was not due to chance, coincidence, or ignorance, but rather the result of a collective consciousness that actively and deliberately shaped this change. Conformity to expectations and pleasantries plays a decisive role in shaping the public’s narrative of an event. The re-creation of this story in a different narrative also indicates that the way the general public engaged with the previous narrative and how it emerged in their minds and feelings was a systematic process. Therefore, a folk narrative is a narrative that is produced as a result of the dialectical interaction of people with the story in question and by manipulating and changing the existing narrative of that story.
Changing the narrative, from de-realization to realization: Changing the narrative is one of the mechanisms that the collective consciousness uses for specific purposes, the most important of which is the inconsistency of the existing narrative with the collective expectations of the people. Reality corresponds to expectations, and something becomes the level of expectations that people consider reality. The change in the narrative of this story is, on the one hand, a sign of the denial of the reality represented in the original narrative, and on the other hand, it implies a new realism with the current narrative.
Factors that change the narrative: Various factors may have been involved in changing the narrative of a story throughout history, and the type of these factors depends on the nature of the story and its kind. The factors influencing the change in the narrative of this story are not ideological, meaning that external factors resulting from a political, historical, or cultural event do not play a role in this change. The nature of the story is related to the value and emotional-sentimental aspects of the people, and internal issues and psychological interests also played a role in the change in its narrative.
New structure creation for narrative with event enhancement: Changing the narrative is accomplished by changing the structure, and the change in structure itself is often accomplished by adding events, deleting events, or changing events. The change in the religious narrative of this story has occurred mostly through the addition of new events that have changed the previous structure and formed another one.
Interpretation of added events: The changes made in the folk narrative compared to the religious narrative have been made with specific semantic goals and motivations. It is necessary to interpret and indicate what semantic and functional role each of the added sections has in the structure of the narrative and for what purposes they have appeared in its structure.
The difference in discourse and semantic-value system in these two narratives: The semantic focus in the religious narrative is lust and betrayal, and the focus is on condemning and demonizing Zuleikha’s lust and praising Yusuf’s chastity; however, in the popular narrative, love and loyalty are the focus of the semantic and value system.
Changing the subjectivity-identity of the characters: In these two versions of the same story, there is no change in the names of the characters or their number, but the subject and her/his identity in these two versions are completely contradictory.
Conclusion
The results of this study show that the change in the religious narrative of the story of Yusuf and Zulaikha was a sign of the inconsistency of that narrative with the level of expectations and desires of the common people. The common people did not see in this narrative not only a reflection of the general desires and emotions, but also a conflict and tension with their emotions and values. This collective dissatisfaction with the reality represented in the religious narrative was the main factor in its change and manipulation, and this issue is the impetus for the common people to reconstruct and narrate the story according to their inner desires and desires.
Article Type:
Original Research |
Subject:
Narrative Science Received: 2025/01/20 | Accepted: 2025/05/21 | Published: 2025/05/31