Abstract
The theme of “woman” in the moral literary works varies according to the period, the society, the social life, the region, etc. On the other hand, firstly, it appears as a world ornament which should be avoided in terms of worldly pleasures and secondly a part of a metaphor and lastly as an exemplary human model beyond the gender concept. There is no difference of women in human values and qualifications. Gulistan and Bustan, which are accepted one of the major works of Persian literature, are among the admonition books based on religious and moral foundations and however they are seen as a guide in the fields of education, training, culture and daily social life. These works that belong to 13th century are also well literary works, and, in this context, they contain Islamic and traditional Persian culture together. The individual and social events, characters and situations mentioned in the stories in these works bear the traces of the period. Besides the subjects that human beings may encounter in every period of life provide an ideal model of life by bringing together the verses and hadiths and the words of scholars and Sufis using a poetical style. The aim of this study is to find out the status and the roles of women in Saadi’s book Gulistan and Bustan which include moral and religious recommendations and wisdom words in an effort to provide an ideal human model with a lifestyle based on Islamic values.
Structured Abstract
Saadi (d. 691/1292), one of the major poets of the Mongol period, was born in Shiraz as a son of a religious and scholarly family. The poet traveled for a long time to improve himself. Within this period benefited from the scholars and sufis of his time; he met people from many regions in the countries he had visited; at the end of his life he gave preference to reclusion and died in Shiraz his native city.
Saadi completed his two best known works ‘Gulistan and Bustan’ (The Orchard and The Rose Garden) in the last years of his life. These works of the poet, which has survived to the present day with its comprehensible and impressive language, are also the product of this accumulation of knowledge and experience. In Gulistan, with eight main titles social and cultural events and the traditions and customs of the society are reflected and the secrets of an exemplary and happy life are told in a way that appeals to all segments. Saadi’s use of concise and memorable witty remarks as an interpreter for all the thoughts and wishes of the society in this work has been one of the important factors that spread to the masses.
The poet's book, Bustan, also known as ‘Sadi-name’, contains the teachings necessary for an ideal society and life, too. In addition to being a moral verse, the literary value of the work is high as well with richness of the literary arts that the poet used with care in choosing words that are compatible with meaning.
In this study, we researched expression of women in literary and social sense by recontextualising the works of Gulistan and Bustan. According to us the analysis of such works is seen as a useful way to understand the image of women in the past and present societies. As a matter of fact, these works not only provide information about the conditions of the period in which written, but also provide information about the formation of the moral and mentality structures of the elite as they have been used as an educational material for many centuries.
It is a known fact that under the social-cultural conditions of the period, it would not be easy to accept the advice given by ignoring the social roles and positions formed within the framework of material relations. Saadi adopted this approach in women's issues in his works. When we look at some of the poet's narratives of the woman in the works we examined, it can be thought that at first glance, he evaluated the man in a more privileged position than the woman. But this is not the fact. Saadi appealed to the people of the period with the language of the period.
The literary background cannot be ignored with the beliefs and customs formed according to the general view of the society in order to make sense of the perceptions of women's identity which seem to be negative at the present time and at the same time contradict with the system of Islamic values. The woman, sometimes, appears as a form of metaphor to give messages and advice on a certain subject in the framework of these values; sometimes in the context of ideal human typing, that is, a part of life as a mother or wife.
Saadi uses the notion of woman as an image in explaining the notions such as manhood, cruelty, reason and devotion, and in describing the symbols of unfaithful, widowed and delilah women in terms of values. The prominent features of women in ‘wife’ are chaste, good-natured, friendly, sweet-tongued, beautiful, reliable, compassionate, loyal; in the negative direction; it is unfaithful, rebellious, lightweight, ignorant and deceitful. In the maternal position, the woman is, apart from all, respected and privileged. In particular, with this identity, women are altruistic, loyal, compassionate, guiding and advising, as well as having a leader role in bringing a virtuous person to a society.
Saadi offers advices on domesticity and husband and wife relationships, while also giving us advice on how to live happily in the world. However, in fact, he gives recommendations that bring happiness both in this world and in the afterlife by paying attention to the dangers that may cause straying. In this sense, while revealing the image of woman in Saadi, we tried to explain the women's share under the ‘ideal person’ picture by inferring the necessity of asking the questions “Who is ‘the ideal person’ for Saadi?” and “How should he/she be?” instead of asking “What is a woman, How is she? How should or should not she be?”
