Exploring the Reconfiguration of “Farhad” in Esmaeil Shahroodi’s “Mard [man]” Ekphrastic Poem and Two Linocuts by Parviz Tanavoli Based on Mark Turner’s Double-Scope Stories Modeldel

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Azadeh Nikouei 1
Ebrahim Khodayar 2
Asghar Fahimifar 3
Mehdi Keshavarz Afshar 3
1 Department of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2 Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
3 Faculty of Art & Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This study examines the role of ekphrasis in Esmail Shahroodi’s poem "Mard" (The Man) regarding two linocuts by Parviz Tanavoli, named “The Intercession of the Gazelle” and “Shirin and Farhad”, as a place for reconfiguring the classic literary character of Farhad. The research adopts an interdisciplinary comparative literature approach to ekphrasis, applying Mark Turner’s notion of "double-scope stories" based on Fauconnier and Turner’s conceptual blending theory; this aligns with Claus Clüver's definition of ekphrasis as the verbalizing viewers’ encounter with (a) non-kinetic visual configuration(s). The analysis constructs a blending network comprising three input spaces: Tanavoli’s two linocuts, the revolutionary discourse of the 1950s and 1960s, and the "Mount Tur" (Mount Sinai) narrative. Employing a qualitative methodology based on conceptual blending analysis, supported by historical evidence, the study reveals that the traditional Farhad is reborn as a "revolutionary Farhad" through the simultaneous mechanisms of compression, completion, and elaboration. Furthermore, the findings indicate that Shahroodi’s poem served as a catalyst for deepening the Farhad type in Tanavoli’s subsequent works.
Keywords
Farhad
ekphrasis
comparative literature
conceptual blending theory
double-scope stories
Esmaeil Shahroodi
Parviz Tanavoli Tanavoli
Subjects
Comparative Literature Research
Volume 14, Issue 2
Summer 2026
Pages 137-167