The Origins of Iranian Rural Drama

This study investigates the origins of rural drama in Iran and presents a comparative study with pastoral drama. Pastoral drama is a sub-genre of rural drama. In Pastoral drama, the emphasis is on dramatic effects such as spectacle, music, and sentimental characters. The focus of rural drama is on the social and human aspects which often could be found in rural sociological studies. This kind of approach in western drama is very modern and new. Its origin goes back to 1850s with Turgenev’s A Month in Country; a movement which was followed by Chekhov’s Uncle Vaniya and three other plays, namely The Cherry Orchard, Three sisters, and The Seagull. All the events of these plays happen in Russian rural atmosphere depicting the change in the life and everyday experiences of rural people. Among the four plays of Chekhov Uncle Vaniya is a unique rural drama that later becomes a model for other playwrightsall around the world especially Iranian playwright, Akbar Radi. Radiunder the influence of Chekhov’s rural drama has written two rural Iranian plays, namely Marg dar payiz [death in autumn] and Dar meh bekhan [sing in fog]. These plays represent the most fascinating aspects of Iranian rural life. This experience also has influenced other branches ofart such as poetry, fiction, and cinema.The process resulted in the improvement of the Iranian humanistic drama.