Research Journal of Poetry and Story Currents in Contemporary Literature of Iran

Research Journal of Poetry and Story Currents in Contemporary Literature of Iran

A Study of the Reflection of the Fertility Myth in Forough Farrokhzad's "Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season" and T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land"

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract
Mythological narratives about death and resurrection have appeared in the literature of most nations. In some narratives, a plant goddess is martyred. The goddess of fertility leaves the land of the living in search of her. In their absence, darkness, infertility, death, and destruction engulf the world, and with their return, life and growth begin anew. In others, only the goddess of fertility is present and the world is created from her existence. In this study, using the analytical method, two prominent texts from the literature of the two nations, the poem "Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season" by Forough Farrokhzad and "The Waste Land" by T. S. Eliot, were examined and compared with the aim of showing the extent to which the mythological pattern or patterns of fertility are reflected. As a result, both poems share common mythological archetypes and motifs and follow the structure of fertility myths. In Forough's poem, the goddess of fertility is highlighted and signs of a plant god are also seen, but in "The Waste Land", the plant god plays a central role. Like Eliot, Forough has been influenced by this myth and has made changes to it according to her culture and gender.
Keywords
Fertility myth
Comparative study
T. S. Eliot
Forough Farrokhzad
Death and life