|
Abstract:
|
This thesis examines the Persian ghazal poetry of Mirza Ghalib . It does so in the light of the corpus of critical literature in Urdu , Persian , and English that concerns both the poetry of Ghalib as well as the poetry of the so -called “Indian Style” of Persian poetry . Poems by Ghalib and his literary forebears , including Fighani , Naziri , ‘Urfi , Zuhuri , Sa’ib , and Bedil are offered in translation ; critical commentary follows each text . The thesis explicates the ways in which each of these authors engaged in an intertextual dialogue , here called javaab -go’ii , or appropriative response -writing , with his forebears , and argues that the dynamics of this intertextual dialogue contribute significantly to the poetry’s aesthetics . These “aesthetics of appropriation” are discussed , analyzed , and evaluated both in the light of Ghalib’s writings on literary influence and Persian poetics , as well as in the light of the aforementioned corpus of critical literature . |