University of Tehran , sarebannejad@ut.ac.ir
Abstract: (111 Views)
Sadegh Hedayat’s The Blind Owl, as one of the most significant works of modern Persian literature, provides a unique ground for philosophical reflection on the existential condition of human beings. This study, adopting a phenomenological–existentialist approach and drawing on Heidegger’s key concepts—particularly Dasein, thrownness, and existential anxiety—seeks to demonstrate that the central concern of the novel is not merely a psychological crisis or abstract symbolism, but the confrontation of the individual with fundamental existential experiences such as solitude, death, and possibility. To deepen the analysis, ideas from other existential philosophers, including Kierkegaard, Jaspers, Sartre, and Camus, are also employed. Contrary to interpretations that associate Hedayat’s suicide with philosophical nihilism, this article emphasizes that existentialist thinkers focus on the liberating possibilities of Dasein and the freedom revealed in facing death; thus, Hedayat’s suicide is more appropriately understood within the psychological and biographical realm rather than as a philosophical necessity. The novelty of this research lies in its reinterpretation of the concept of “the darkness of being” not as a dead end, but as a moment of openness toward new existential possibilities. Methodologically, the study relies on qualitative content analysis combined with a hermeneutic approach, showing how Hedayat—long before the wide reception of existentialist thought in Iran—created a fictional world in which literature and philosophy converge to rethink the relation of human beings to time, death, and the self.
Type of Study: Original Article |
Subject:
Philosophy
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