Literary Quranic Researches

Literary Quranic Researches

An Analysis of Sub-worlds in Surah Yūnus Based on the Theoretical Framework of Paul Werth and Joanna Gavins

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Hosein Elyasi Mofrad 1
Mahmoud Reza Tavakoli Mohamadi 2
Hamid Motavalizadeh Naeini 3
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Lorestan University, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/paq.2026.2080303.4110
Abstract
Qur’anic narratives employ a variety of techniques and subtle devices to present a fuller picture of lofty divine concepts to their audiences. Accordingly, rather than presenting a single, incomplete, and one-dimensional world, they construct a diverse, multidimensional, and comprehensive world that enables readers to develop a comprehensive and accurate understanding of various phenomena. Surah Yūnus, the tenth surah of the Holy Qur’an and one of its Meccan chapters, primarily focuses on the call to monotheism, the affirmation of the truths of revelation and resurrection, and warnings about the consequences of human heedlessness. Through its account of the people of Prophet Yūnus and their timely repentance, the surah illustrates divine mercy and the possibility of returning to the right path within the framework of divine laws. It thus conveys the message that, even when confronted with crises and fundamental truths about existence, people can still attain awareness and return to the right path. To articulate its discourse and ideas, the surah draws on multiple worlds embedded within the main world. The concept of sub-worlds, or subsidiary worlds, emerged in the modern era alongside developments in cognitive science and physics and was subsequently developed by theorists such as Paul Werth and Joanna Gavins. Within Text World Theory, three levels are proposed for examining worlds in literary texts, with sub-worlds constituting an important component of this framework. These include three types of sub-worlds: deictic, attitudinal, and epistemic. Using a descriptive-analytical approach and drawing on the categories outlined in sub-world theory, this study examines Surah Yūnus. The findings indicate that sub-worlds are employed in the Qur’an to make seemingly unreal conceptions imaginable, provide access to the inner worlds of narrative characters, facilitate dialogue-centered narration, develop the narrative and render it more comprehensible, and present various hypotheses and possibilities.
Keywords
Holy Qur’an, Surah Yūnus, sub-worlds, Text World Theory, discourse
Subjects
- قرآن کریم
1.                 ابن‌فارس، احمد (1429)، مقاییس اللغة، بیروت، دار احیاء التراث العربی.
2.                  استاک­ول، پیتر (1393)، درآمدی بر شعرشناسی شناختی، ترجمه: لیلا صادقی، تهران، مروارید.
3.                 بدوی، عبدالرحمن (1977)، الافلاطونیة المحدثة عند العرب،کویت، وکالة المطبوعات.
4.                 جوادی آملی، عبدالله (1378)، قرآن در قرآن، قم، مرکز نشر اسراء.
5.                 خاقانی، محمد (1376)، جلوه‌های بلاغت در نهج‌البلاغه، قم،  بنیاد نهج البلاغه.
6.                 راستگو، کبری؛ و سیده فاطمه سلیمی (1398)، «مجاز عقلی، مجاز یا حقیقت، با رویکرد آمیختگی مفهومی در گفتمان قرآنی»، زبان و ادبیات عربی، س11، ش 1، ص 25 ـ 54.
7.                 صادقی، لیلا (1400)، نقد ادبی با رویکرد شناختی، تهران، لوگوس.
8.                 فراستخواه، مقصود (1376)، زبان قرآن، تهران، علمی و فرهنگی.
9.                 فضل الله، محمدحسین (1992)، الحوار فی القرآن، بیروت، دار الفکر معاصر.
10. فیروزآبادی، محمّد بن یعقوب (1424)، القاموس المحیط، بیروت، دار احیاء التراث العربی.
11. قناد، صالح (1389)، قصه‌های قرآن، چ 2، قم، مرکز نشر المصطفی.
12. مکارم شیرازی، ناصر (1371)، تفسیر نمونه، تهران، دار الکتب الاسلامیه.
13. وهابیان، بهناز (1400)، «بازنمایی عناصر سازندۀ جهان‌های زیرشمول در داستان، براساس رویکرد شعرشناسی شناختی: مطالعۀ موردی بوف‌ کور»، نقد ادبی،  د 14، ش 55، ص 141 ـ 177.
14. همدانی، امید (1399)، «تکامل و کارکرد شناختی روایت تخیلی: منظری داروینیستی»، نقد و نظریه ادبی، س 5 (10)، ص 251 ـ 276.
15. Barcelona, A (2000), Metaphor and Metonymy at the Crossroads: A Cognitive Perspective, Berlin & New York, Mouton de Gruyter.
16. Freeman, M (2000), »Poetry and the Scope of Metaphor: Toward a Theory of Cognitive Poetics«, In Metaphor & Metonymy at the Crossroads, A. Barcelona (ed), The Hague, Mouton de Gruyter, p 253-281.
17. Gavins, J (2007), Text World Theory: An Introduction, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press.
18. Jannidis, F (2004), Figur und Person: Beitrag zu einer historschen Narrotologie, Berlin / NewYork, de Gruyter.
19. Pinker, S (1998), How the Mind Works, London, Penguin Books.
20. Werth, P (1999), Text Worlds: Representing Conceptual Space in Discourse, London, Longman.
21. Winko, S & T. Köppe (2007), »Cognitive Poetics«, In Neuere Literaturtheorien. Ed: Winko, Simone and Tilmann Köppe, p 300 – 312.