بررسی ساختار روایی حکایت «آن رنجور که طبیب در او امیدِ صحّت ندید» مثنوی معنوی بر مبنای نظریۀ تزوتان تودوروف

Tzvetan Todorov, the prominent Bulgarian-French theorist, conceptualized narratology as a branch of structuralism and articulated it through three interrelated dimensions: syntactic, verbal, and semantic. In the Masnavi-ye Maʿnavi, Rumi elaborates mystical concepts through allegorical narratives whose structural organization significantly contributes to meaning production. The story “Ān Ranjūr ke Ṭabīb dar ū Omīd-e Ṣeḥḥat Nadīd” from Book Six presents a narrative structured around the opposition between the sick man and the Sufi. The transformation of characters and the causal chain of events provide a suitable framework for structural analysis. This study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to examine how the syntactic, verbal, and semantic dimensions of the story are organized according to Todorov’s narrative theory and how causal relations shape both the mode of narration and the ethical implications of the text.
The findings demonstrate that, at the syntactic level, the narrative is structured around two principal sequences comprising ten minimal propositions (six descriptive and four functional), and through contrastive embedding it preserves the five-stage equilibrium cycle without disruption. At the verbal level, the predominance of the indicative mood (70.3%), linear temporality, scene-oriented duration, the frequency of monologic discourse, an external omniscient point of view, and a subtly ironic tone collectively mechanize the process of misinterpretation. At the semantic level, binary oppositions such as will/order, good/evil, justice/oppression, and appearance/essence organize the deeper layer of meaning and elevate misinterpretation from a mere narrative incident to an instrument of divine judgment. The interaction of these three dimensions transforms misinterpretation into a meaningful structural mechanism that articulates divine wisdom. The study thus fills the gap in previous single-layer analyses and confirms the effectiveness of Todorov’s model for uncovering processes of meaning production in Persian allegorical texts.
Introduction
Narrative constitutes one of the most fundamental modes of organizing human experience and transmitting meaning in literary texts. Beyond the apparent sequence of events, every narrative is structured by an internal system of causal relations, transformations of equilibrium, and semantic oppositions that guide the production of meaning. Within structuralist narratology, Tzvetan Todorov’s tripartite model, comprising the syntactic, verbal, and semantic dimensions, provides a systematic framework for analyzing the structural organization of narratives independent of their thematic content. By distinguishing between minimal narrative units (propositions), sequences (equilibriums and disruptions), and semantic oppositions, Todorov demonstrates how meaning emerges from structural configurations rather than from content alone. Rumi’s Masnavi-ye Ma'navi stands as one of the most prominent allegorical texts in Persian literature. Although its stories appear simple at the surface level, they are constructed upon complex structural patterns that intertwine causality, characterization, and symbolic oppositions. The tale “That Sick Man in Whom the Physician Saw No Hope of Recovery” (the title of the story examined in this article and a literal translation of “Ān Ranjūr ke Ṭabīb dar ū Omīd-e Ṣeḥḥat Nadīd”) from Book Six is structured around the opposition between the sick man and the Sufi, later extended to the judge, forming a multilayered narrative grounded in causally linked actions and ironic reversals. Despite numerous narratological studies on selected tales of the Masnavi, most analyses have been limited to one or two narrative dimensions and have rarely examined the interaction of syntactic, verbal, and semantic levels simultaneously. The present study aims to provide an integrated structural analysis of this tale based on Todorov’s three-layered model in order to demonstrate how meaning, particularly the mechanism of misinterpretation, is generated through the synergy of these dimensions.
Method
This research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach grounded in structuralist narratology. The theoretical framework is based on Todorov’s model, which analyzes the narrative across three interrelated dimensions: syntactic (structural organization of propositions and sequences), verbal (mode, tense, perspective, and tone), and semantic (binary oppositions and meaning production).
First, the full text of the selected tale was extracted from Book Six of the Masnavi. In the syntactic dimension, minimal narrative units (propositions) were identified and classified into descriptive (static) and functional (dynamic) propositions. These propositions were then organized into sequences according to Todorov’s five-phase model: initial equilibrium, disruption, disequilibrium, attempt at restoration, and new equilibrium. The method of sequence combination (embedding, chaining or alternation) was also examined. In the verbal dimension, all verbal modes were identified and quantified, including indicative, imperative (obligative), optative (desiderative), conditional, and predictive forms. Their frequencies were calculated and analyzed in relation to narrative progression. Temporal structure (order, duration, and frequency), focalization (external omniscient narration), and tone (ironic) were also examined. In the semantic dimension, dominant binary oppositions were identified, including will/order, good/evil, justice/injustice, and appearance/reality. The interaction of these oppositions in shaping the ethical implications of the narrative was analyzed. Through this tripartite procedure, the study evaluates how structural interaction produces thematic coherence and allegorical meaning.
Results
The findings indicate that the narrative structure of the tale consists of two sequences: one primary and one embedded secondary sequence. Together they comprise ten minimal propositions: six descriptive (static) and four functional (dynamic). The secondary sequence is inserted into the fourth phase of the primary sequence through an embedding strategy. No chaining or alternation patterns were detected. The primary sequence follows Todorov’s five-stage equilibrium model without structural deviation. The initial equilibrium presents the sick man consulting the physician; disruption occurs through the physician’s paradoxical prescription to follow every desire; disequilibrium emerges when the sick man strikes the Sufi; the embedded secondary sequence unfolds in the judicial setting; and the narrative concludes with a new ideological equilibrium articulated by the judge’s acceptance of divine decree.
In the verbal dimension, the indicative mode dominates with 70.3% frequency, followed by obligative (9.4%), predictive (10.1%), optative (6.5%), and conditional (3.6%) modes. The predominance of the indicative mode reinforces the objectivity and factual tone of events, even when actions are irrational. This linguistic objectification intensifies the ironic effect, as absurd actions are narrated as unquestionable facts. Temporal structure is strictly linear, with no analepsis or prolepsis, reinforcing causal coherence. Duration is predominantly scene-oriented, and the narrator adopts an external omniscient perspective. The tone remains subtly ironic, particularly in the mechanical execution of the physician’s advice and the judge’s paradoxical ruling. Semantically, the narrative is structured around binary oppositions that elevate misinterpretation from an individual psychological error to a metaphysical lesson. The sick man’s literal obedience to desire represents uncontrolled will opposed to social and divine order. Justice appears inverted, yet the final equilibrium reinterprets events within the framework of divine wisdom. Thus, misinterpretation functions as a structural device that exposes the limitations of human judgment.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that the meaning of the tale does not arise solely from its mystical or ethical content but from the systematic interaction of syntactic, verbal, and semantic dimensions. The embedding of a secondary sequence within the primary narrative structure reinforces thematic coherence while preserving structural equilibrium. The dominance of the indicative mode and linear temporality stabilize the narrative framework, allowing irony to operate through structural consistency rather than rhetorical exaggeration. Meanwhile, semantic oppositions transform a seemingly comic anecdote into a profound reflection on will, justice, and divine decree.
The findings confirm the analytical efficiency of Todorov’s tripartite model for examining Persian allegorical narratives and contribute to filling the gap in previous single-layer narratological studies. By applying an integrated three-dimensional approach, this research reveals how structural organization itself becomes the generator of meaning in classical Persian narrative texts.