Abstract
The tenth issue of Tabl magazine was published in November 2022 and contains eight articles and one interview.
The first article, “What Makes a Hero?”, is written by Kristian Frisk and translated by Iman Khodafard. The article explores the sociology of heroism and begins by discussing four dominant perspectives: the study of great men, hero stories, heroic actions, and hero institutions. The discussion continues on the main lines that demarcate these four perspectives, the multidimensional characteristics of heroism, and the theoretical trajectory within the literature.
The article by Ariasp Dadbeh explores the common idea of the hero in relation to the history of the human soul. Titled “The Glorious Hero in the Quest of the Choice, Clarity and Dignity of Soul”, the article looks at the appearance of a hero through the journey of consciousness of the human soul. Dadbeh examines various issues that should be considered during the glorious hero’s journey and, at the end, narrates a part of Saadi’s work related to the topic.
Sara Karimi’s article, “Between Virtue and Luck, the Tension of Becoming a Hero”, explores the evolution of heroism from mythology to modern-day Iran. Initially, Karimi notes that the mythos world predates the world of Logos and lost credibility after the arrival of wisdom. Karimi then delves into Afrasiab’s campaign to Iran and traces the evolution of heroism through the Enlightenment Age and the era of constitutionalism in Iran.
In recent years, there has been a shift away from the portrayal of women as victims in literature. Instead, there has been a growing interest in finding heroines from history, mythology, and literature. This quest has sometimes resulted in the redefinition of the concept of heroism for female characters. Mehrnoosh Arzaghi has followed the gradual shift of female characters in contemporary fiction from passive victims to active heroes in the article “Disgust of the Victim’s Role”.
In issue nine of Tabl Magazine, the article “The Metamorphosis of the Hero” mentions that a person cannot be held responsible for their heroic transformation. However, the second part of the article in the tenth issue highlights certain elements that can be undertaken to increase the likelihood of transformation. Three broad categories of activities that can strengthen the transformation process have been identified by examining theories and research about heroism, growth, leadership, and spiritual development. These activities include participation in training and growth programs, spiritual practices, and embarking on the hero’s journey. Although these activities may seem different at first, they all have the potential to bring about transformative results.
Ali Hadavand’s interview with Hossein Mojtahedi is titled “The Idea of the ‘Hero’, from Birth to Growth”. In the interview, Mojtahedi discusses the emergence and birth of the hero character from both individual and social perspectives. He takes a psychoanalytical approach and explores the etymology and auditory images associated with the word “hero”. Additionally, he draws upon Iranian literary tradition and history to delve deeper into the idea of the hero.
The article “The Painter of the Giant Creates Hero” discusses the semantic-semiotics of face and facialization in the works of Bahman Mohasses. Sohrab Ahmadi focuses on the depiction of giants and large figures in Mohasses’ paintings and sculptures, which are made from various materials such as stone and metal. He analyzes and interprets these works by examining several sources and perspectives, verbal engagements and disengagements (débrayage et embrayage), as well as the engagements and disengagements of persons and time.
Hamoon Qapchi, in his article “Outcasts”, argues that cinema is not just an art form but also an industry, a media outlet, and a social institution. As a result, cinema cannot be analyzed solely from cultural and aesthetic perspectives. Rather, it encompasses various dimensions, such as the economy, politics, and social issues. Qapchi examines the characters who were born as heroes in different decades.
In the second part of his article titled “Silent Heroes Engraved on Celluloid”, Alexander Ovanesian discusses the emergence of heroes in the silent and sound films of the United States and Europe. Towards the end of his article, he also touches upon the first thirty years of cinema in Iran, predominantly characterized by silent films imported from other countries and proved more successful. During this period, there were only a few Iranian cinema productions, which failed to produce any notable heroes. However, this trend changed dramatically during the talkies era.