Contemporary Iranian Dramatist, Eastern Visual Provocation, and Cultural Originality

Abstract

The necessity of taking refuge in literary productions has been intensified due to the societies' severe involvement in the features of the modern world. Loss of identity and failure to maintain an integrated self are the repercussions of distancing from humanistic roots. Some attempts in modern art/literature appear to focus more on visual styles to represent the catastrophes of the modern universe and create the needed cultural shock. Contemporary Iranian Dramatist, Ali Rafiée, has chosen to potentialize historically originated texts by visual intensity of various types on stage to help audience develop critical thinking and rehabilitate their identities with the aid of cultural resemblances very akin to universal codes of humanity. Scrutinizing the visual techniques, one may see the footprints of Kabuki and Balinese performances, supporting the idea of the visual communicative power of stage and audience. Consequently, the significance of the study lies in salvaging the universal humanity through vision-based performances; the humanity which has been doomed to be disoriented within the disastrous modern era. Seeing through the lenses of cultural memory theories of Jan and Aleida Assman, one can consider vision-based performances as an appropriate modern means of helping the individuals to rehabilitate the lost culture and eventually to blur the geographical boundaries and highlight the transnational aspects of literature.