Comparative analysis of the theoretical and structural bases of the books on Persian rhetoric

The structure and contents of every literary work is determined by the degree of the intellectual and scientific advancement of the author’s time. A good many of the extant works from the early Islamic era, point to the absence of systematic theories and foundations of the prevalent sciences of the time; this of course is not indicative of the inability of the compilers and authors, but is related to inconsistency and instability of rhetorical concepts and terminology among the scholars who have written about the art of rhetoric.
This article presents a critical study of the development of the science of badī’ (figures of speech) in the books on Arabic rhetoric as well as in the early works on Persian rhetoric (Tarjomān al-belāgha; Hadāyeq al-sehr; Al-Mo’jam fī ma’ā’īr al-ash’ār al-Ajam). While the theoretical and structural essentials of these three Persian books are analyzed, goals, perspectives, and views of their writers about their own works are assessed, so are their outlooks concerning the development of rhetorical sciences, especially, badī’. Critique of definitions, citations, the devising of terminology, and Persian equivalents as well as the chapter arrangement in the above-mentioned books are the main goals of this study.