Epic Unity: The Case Against Under-Analysis

Abstract

Previously, in this volume, I focused on Ferdowsi as a man, and on the historical and cultural circumstances that led to the creation of the Shāhnāmeh. I suggested ways of sorting fact from fiction in order to help the reader distinguish what may be said with some degree of certainty from the purely fantastical. The next part of this study is devoted to the Shāhnāmeh as a work of art. I propose to consider some of the book’s artistic features in order to shed light on the way that it is put together as a unified narrative.