Manifestations of Demythologizing and Myth-Making in Shafiei Kadkani’s Poetry from a Romantic Perspective

Myths are regenerated in a new way in response to the conditions of time and place. Because a myth has special forms and functions at different times, in the course of time, across geographical borders, and among different peoples, it may undergo transformation and take on new roles. Use of myth by contemporary poets and writers – like their romantic predecessors – has been mostly through mythmaking and creation of modern myths, sometimes accompanied by destruction or demythologizing. Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kadkani is one of the contemporary poets known for his use of mythology. His poetry is the poetry of myths, beliefs and collective dreams of Iranian people. The existence of romantic attitude in his poetry and the dominance of romantic components in his compositions have completely changed his view of myths as a part of human culture and tradition. The purpose of this research is to analyze and explain the function of myth-making and demythologizing in Shafiei Kadkani's poetry by using a descriptive-analytical method. Findings suggest that demythologizing (destroying and changing the meaning of myths, de-sanctifying myths, humorous aspect of myths) and mythmaking (creating historical and mystical figures, national figures, mixing mythical narratives, nature, birds, and animals) are the main types of the romantic reflection of myths in Shafiei Kadkani's poetry.