Analyzing the Function of Sheikh Bahai’s Cat and Mouse Based on Vladimir Propp’s Theory

In his innovative theory, Russian folklorist Vladimir Propp examined the morphology of Russian folktales. Unlike former classifications of these stories which were mostly based on content and theme, Propp’s classification is based on the stories’ form and structure. He realized the first step in rectifying his hypothesis was recognizing and determining the fixed and variable elements of the stories. This article examines and analyzes the morphology of Sheikh Bahai’s Cat and Mouse which consists of several frame narratives and multilayered stories within stories so that this story is composed of a total of thirty-four sub-stories. This article is based on library research and adopts a descriptive hermeneutic content analysis approach and attempts to probe the functions, determine their frequencies, and study them comparatively based on Propp’s morphology. The findings indicate that there are strong intertextual relationships among these stories. Of the thirty-five tales in this work, in addition to Propp’s thirty-one functions, for the first time, seven more functions are discussed in this article which include "escape", "gossip", "commitment", "menace", "hiding", "wager", and "abandonment".