Journal of Literary Criticism

Journal of Literary Criticism

Studying narrative types and their discursive functions in the poetic works of Lily and Majnoon Jami based on Jaap Lintvelt's theory.

Document Type : Original Article

Author
fatemeh zamani
Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Kosar university of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran
10.22034/jlc.2025.445128.1622
Abstract
In narrative typology, Jaap lintvelt classifies narrative texts based on their macro-structural features into three types: text-oriented (actoriel), actor-oriented (auctoriel), and neutral(nature). These narrative types differ from one another in terms of their perceptual-psychological basis (narrative perspective (point of view), depth of perspective, narrative mood, temporal basis, spatial and verbal basis) and influence the affective, cognitive, generalizing, and discursive dimensions of the text. The present study endeavors to analyze the frequency of text-oriented, actor-oriented, and neutral narrative types in Jami's Layla and Majnun, as well as their discursive applications, based on Jaap lintvelt theory of narrative typology. The results of this research indicate that this masnavi shares a similar narrative framing (the prologue and epilogue of the book) with other Persian masnavis, which is narrated as a homodiegetic fictional world. In this part of the narrative, the abstract author-narrator, in an actor-oriented manner, mentions the reasons and motivations for composing this masnavi. The beginning of the story occurs in a heterodiegetic fictional world, where the three narrative types—text-oriented, actor-oriented, and neutral—can be distinguished. The text-oriented narrative type in the heterodiegetic fictional world, characterized by its temporal and spatial basis outside the story, possesses features of self-awareness, god-like omniscience, and interpretation, with its discourse being cognitive in nature. The actor-oriented narrative type is manifested in the dialogues between the story's characters, who share the same temporal and spatial basis as the story, and the discursive function of the main characters in this narrative type is affective-cognitive, while the discursive function of the secondary characters is generalizing. The neutral narrative type is used to describe the atmosphere and setting, and to depict the states of the story's main characters, Layla and Majnun, which strengthens the affective dimension of the discourse
Keywords
Narrative Typology
Text-Oriented
Actor-Oriented
Neutral
Jaap lintvelt
Layla and Majnun
Jami
Subjects
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Journal of Literary Criticism
Volume 10, Issue 19
April 2026
Pages 228-190

  • Receive Date 21 February 2024
  • Revise Date 30 December 2024
  • Accept Date 12 January 2025