Development, formation and characteristics of the masnavi (couplet) genre in Azerbaijani literature

Abstract

The article provides information about the origin, formation and specific features of the Masnavi (couplet) genre, which originated in the classical literature of Eastern Iran and developed by prominent thinkers in different periods of Azerbaijani literature. It is known that the art of artistic expression, which is an integral part of the civilization of different peoples, has benefited from each other for centuries, and literary examples have developed and enriched through literary ties. One of the main reason for the similarity of plot, theme and idea of epic poems was the fact that Persian was the only language of poetry in the Middle and Near East at that time. The ancient and medieval Masnavis (couplets) were a continuation of each other in terms of themes and ideas. Although works with a traditional theme were widespread in classical Eastern literature, there were also Masnavis (couplets) based on non-traditional, original plot. From this point of view, it is impossible to imagine Azerbaijani classical literature separately from the overall Eastern literature. As a result, Masnavi (couplets) maintained its wide position in the East and became one of the most popular genre of epic poetry in Azerbaijani literature, as well.