Reading Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī through Deconstruction: The Case of the Mathnawī-ye Ma'nawī

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Reading Jalal al-Din Rumi through Deconstruction looks at the poetry of the Mathnawi and its formation. Rumi and Derrida are the two sides of two opposing poles and to attempt a philosophical reconciliation seems very unlikely. However, both Rumi and Derrida speak quite a lot about the language of poetry and its role, and it is better to say its inability, to deliver a single meaning. The current book studies the inner conflict within the text of the Mathnawi the composition of a didactic, mystical text through an acentric structure. Acentrism deals with the plurality within the poetry (and not simply the plurality of meanings) which can be applied to a general structure that prevents the formation of a single subject in the text. This feature shows the dynamism and liveliness in this text and distinguishes it from other didactic works before or after it (works by ‘Attar, Sana'i, and Shabestari for example). It also avoids systematization and fixity of meaning and thus Rumi redefines the traditional understanding of didacticism.