پژوهشنامه فرهنگستان هنر
پیاپی 20 (بهار 1399)

The present paper aims to answer the following key questions: Why the script ofSeparation cannot be reduced to a full abstract? Why are Nader, Simin, Termeh, the divorce judge, and to some extent Nader’s father are personages, but Razieh, Mr Samadi, Somaieh, Mr Samadi’s sister, nor the judge in Razieh’s case against Nader are not? Why Razieh and anyone else from her family have no activist role? Why the narrative hasmultiple plots? How is a narrative with multiple plots conceivable? Is it possible at all? To answer these questions, it is assumed here that despite its many features, the script is possibly defective, and hence the above questions. To prove this, the authors begin with the movie’s strengths, and then move on to focus on one of one of deep, main elements of narration, namely the plot, to show that each sequence of the film is beautiful on its own but weaknesses emerge in the array. It is exactly at this stage that the plot shows these incorrect arrays.

Despite a history of numerous dramatic adaptations in Iran, they have often failed to attract critics’ and audiences’ attention. Achieving a localised theoretical framework for adaptation is one way out of this impasse. The present paper begins with a pathology of adaptation in Iran, followed by a comparison between adaptation and translation in order toshow ways to borrow ideas from translation theories. Of special importance here is Shahnameh, because of its stance in our theatre. To conclude, the obstacles and conditions of adapting legends and ancient texts, posing a ‘theory of suicide’ according to which, a successful adaptation is more dependent on the adapter than the original source. Adaptation is not imitation, multiplication, change of medium, or respect the original, but is the creation of a work which, whilst keeping ties with the original, maximally distances from it. The suicide theory suggests the critical-aggressive seizing approach instead of adaptation. Seizing can aim at overthrowing every foundation of that which has granted a work some false, hollow identity; or further, a demythification of reference texts. Even if it does not achieve its goals, the suicide has a character and opens up new doors. This theory is an attempt to pose an applied approach for adapting ancient texts in the Iranina drama.

In the last decade, urban planning, urban studies and architecture have witnessed an increasing interest in explanatory theories and methods such asDiscourse theory, Narration theory and Semiotics. This has gone so far that some have even seen a ‘narrative turn’ or paradigm shift in urban planning practices.These approaches were initially of analytic-theoretical nature. But since architecture and urbanism is first and foremost about improving the quality of life, it is necessary for these theories to be able to guide design and change. Here is where models and strategies are posed.On this basis, the present paper introduces a new model in narrating (urban/ natural) landscapesof value called: ‘Archipelago’. This model proposes a specific formal strategy and structure, whilst emphasising on a supportive narrative system to achieve strategic goals.Despite several projects being based on this model, its theorists do not propose any theories linking the narrative theory with the Archipelago model, which is why this paper attempts to explain the necessity of narration in contemporary urban space, whilst demonstrating links between key concepts of the narration theory and the Archipelago strategic model, followed by the introduction of a nine-step process to design the Archipelago. To conclude, the story of the formation of the new Isfahan in Safavid era and its links with that of contemporary Isfahan an attempt is made to demonstrate the capabilities of the Archipelago model to form an urban narrative discourse as a strategic model, through the nine steps.

Sign-semantics sometimes seeks to instruct the connection between the signifiers of a work, and thus provide an account of the narrative that lies ahead, extracting the meaning from the depths of the text with the help of outward signs. The semantic square, which is drawn with the help of the contradictions of the main and semantic elements of a work of art, whether in the form of a literary text or in the form of a film and painting, is a great tool for examining the formation of the meaning process. What can be seen in the works of JavadBayad is a time course, and it seems that with the help of this time course, he has always tried to expand the concepts that he cultivates in his mind. The works used for this analysis are those sold by this artist, which are also among his most important paintings, with‘the characteristics of the formation of meaning with the help of time’. The research focuses on how the artist produces meaning from the contradictions between war in the course of time, and peace at present.Also, semantic squares have been used as a framework to study the use of colours to form his intended concept justified by sign-semantics. The conclusion is that the thinking of the artist is to move on from ethnic and religious fights towards the inner peace, achieved with the help of elements such as security, study, love, and most importantly religion. In fact, with the help of semiotics, these works have methodically turned into a narratives whose meaning is formed in the course of time, and whose words can be explored with the help of a semantic square.

The present text pays attention to a topic which, despite its fresh title, namely, ‘trans-narrative’or ‘’hyper-narrative’ has always been discussed in a variety of forms. The relationship between narratives and how to make use of previous narratives in creating new ones – be it intra-sign or inter-sign exchanges – has always been important in literature and arts; both in intra-exchanges such as cinema-cinema, and in inter-exchanges such as literature-music. The present paper attempts to study the relationship between narratives with a tans-narrative approach; an approach with its own view, method, requirements and conditions. As will be seen, the paper has made use of narratology and trans-textuality as the two main approaches.

Existential semiotics, a new theory stemming from combination of classical semiotics (Paris school) and continental philosophy, has led us to two notions of transcendence and – zemic. By zemic we understand four modes of being (Hegel) interpreted via the categories of Moi and Soi, inserted first to a semiotic square and then dynamized by two movements of sublimation and embodiment. A new model for music analysis grows from this starting point. In the background loom the two ways of transcending: transascendence and transdescendence (Jean Wahl), which appear as gestures of musical discourse. Ultimately this is close to the ’breathing of the hand’ at the piano playing method by the Parisian teacher Jules Gentil. Moreover, historically, the idea occurs also in some notes in the Brown Book by Richard Wagner referring to Indian Hindu philosophy. This has its consequences in the whole of theory of existential semiotics as a metaphysical system.