An Analysis of Metaphoric and Metonymic Poles in the Story of Golnar and the Mirror (With Reference to Roman Jakobson’s Theory of Combination and Substitution)

Abstract

Understanding linguistic propositions is only possible within specific linguistic contexts. Persian-Dari, or any other language, based on its structure, cannot convey meaning outside the context and the interplay of its propositions. The concepts of combination and substitution, or rhetorical devices such as metonymy and metaphor, are tools for enriching and expanding the scope of language, which have long been of interest to linguists. Additionally, they are employed by literary scholars and critics in the description, analysis, and even critique of literary works. This study takes an analytical and somewhat critical approach to the practical application of metaphoric and metonymic poles in the novel Golnar and the Mirror, grounded in Roman Jakobson’s formalist perspective. This approach, historically significant for constructing meaning and establishing relationships in the selection and combination of words, is applied here to analyze and compare its relevance in a selected novel from the realm of Afghan fiction.