The reflection of anger, violence, and death resulting from the dominance of the shadow archetype in postmodern Persian poetry

Hozhabr Lake, Sakineh; Jalili Kohne Shahri, K.; Nazari Charvadeh, Ahmad Reza

doi:10.22035/isih.2023.4923.4802

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

¹ PhD. student, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Astara Branch, Islamic Azad University, Astara, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Astara Branch, Islamic Azad University, Astara, Iran

³ Advisor , Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Astara Branch, Islamic Azad University, Astara, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2023.4923.4802

Abstract

Postmodern poetry can be considered a suitable reference for archetypal studies due to the features of revealing and deconstructing verbal topics. Considering the frequency of words, combinations, and phrases related to anger, violence, and death in postmodern Persian poetry, the present research attempts to ask the following question: “What is the reason for the exaggerated tendency of postmodern poets to express anger and violence in poetry?” The images of “social anger and violence”, “individual anger and violence”, and “death” are studied in the works of a number of postmodern poets using a descriptive-analytical method and considering an interdisciplinary approach to literature and two domains of social and psychological criticisms. The result showed the plurality of reflections on “violence towards women”, “moral corruption”, and “war”, as well as anomalies such as “drug use” in the social violence section, and “suicide” and “masochism” in the individual violence section result from the pervasive “death thoughts”. “Thinking of death” which is one of the signs of the dominance of the shadow archetype in the human unconscious mind, has become a current thought in postmodern poetry and, as a result, one of the main features of this poetic flow. Postmodern poets have tried to show the darkness and inner anger in society, using isolating and terrifying images related to “death” and also move their poetic process towards darkness and terror, so it can be claimed that among the contemporary poets, those who were unconsciously defeated by the shadow archetype have turned to postmodern poetry.

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