Literary Transformation And Intellectual Enlightenment In Qajar Iran

Persian literature is a treasure of Iranian culture and a microcosm of the times.During the Arab empire,Persian literature became a spiritual force in shaping Iranian cultural identity and recalling the collective memory.During the Mongol Period,Iran continued to undergo frequent regime changes and was subjugated to foreign domination,but the glory of Persian literature always linked Iran as an indestructible cultural community,and the emergence of world-renowned Persian poets such as Saadi,Rumi and Hafez,creating a golden age of Persian literature.After the Safavid dynasty,Persian literature declined due to the obsolescence of its content and the rigidity of its forms.It was not until the Qajar dynasty that,under the impact of Western civilization and the modernization reform of Iran,Persian literature was reborn and began its transformation from tradition to modernization,with a lasting and profound impact on the intellectual enlightenment and national awakening of Iranian society.The transformation of Persian literature depended on the establishment of a literary system.During the Qajar dynasty,a new literary system was established with the creation of new-style education,the emergence of an intellectual class and the flourishing of the press,which contributed to the modernization of Persian literature.The new-style education provided the main force for the emergence of a new literature;the press changed the channels of knowledge dissemination,creating a wide space for public opinion in Iranian society and driving Persian literature in the direction of popularization;and modern intellectuals were radically different from traditional intellectuals,exerting influence on society through knowledge rather than political power.As the main body of modern literature,the emerging intellectuals were more concerned with the plight of the people and the fate of the country than the traditional Iranian literati,using literature as a weapon against the despotism and imperialism and inspiring the people to fight for their freedom and independence.The modernization of the literary language,the diversification of literary genres and the enlightenment of literary thought were important elements for the modernization of Persian literature.Influenced by Western literature in translation,Iranian literature has produced novels,plays,new poetry and other literary genres.These new literary works were written in the vernacular,with a fresh,simple and enlightened style,and were well received by the Iranian public.The popularity of these literary works helped to create a social trend that opposed the feudal dictatorship and advocated democracy and freedom,and in a subtle way guided the direction of social development in modern Iran.The transformation of Persian literature and the modernization of Iranian society were accompanied and complemented by the changes of the times.Although the democratic revolution of the Qajar dynasty ended in failure,the cultural heritage of the enlightenment writers and thinkers was preserved,and was an important precursor to the modernization of Iran in the 20 th century,which has a profound historical significance in modern Iranian history.