Role and Place of Edward Granville Browne in Iranian Studies (with an Emphasis on A Literary History of Persia)

Edward Granville Browne, the British Orientalist, wrote several books in the field of Iranian studies, among which reference can be made to his A Literary History of Persia. This work which had been written under the influence of great European Orientalists and their methods was later used as a model for the writers of books on history of literature. This paper discusses the role of Edward Granville Browne in Iranian studies. In the view of literary scholarly and researchers, his attempts as an Orientalists and lover of Iranian culture are praiseworthy. His comprehensive view of Iranology, on the one hand, and his reliance on historical narratives and documents, on the other hand, have given rise to various views regarding his works; some people criticize him, while some others admire him. In this study, which has been conducted following the library method, the writer initially introduces Browne briefly and, then, investigates his role in Iranian studies with an emphasis on his A Literary History of Persia in order to determine his status in the view of literary scholars. The findings of the study demonstrate that, among the Orientalists who dealt with Iran, Browne had a great share in introducing Iran and Iranian literature to Europeans. They also indicate that, after the publication of this book, Iranian researchers abandoned their methods of purely narrative and biographical historiography in their literary studies and adopted the method that Browne had employed in the composition of A Literary History of Persia.