THE AESTHETICS OF IRONY: POST-STRUCTURALIST READING OF AL-FARAZDAQ’S POLITICAL PERSONA

Abstract

This study explored the intersection of medieval Arabic political discourse and modern critical theory by analyzing the programmatic poetry (Naqa'idh) of Al-Farazdaq during the Umayyad Caliphate. While classical literary criticism primarily evaluated his work through rigid socio-historical or purely grammatical frameworks, this research applied a post-structuralist lens to deconstruct the semantic stability of his verses. The objective of this study was to investigate how Al-Farazdaq utilized complex diction and metaphor not merely as stable instruments for political panegyric or ideological propaganda, but as dynamic sites of linguistic irony that implicitly disrupted the absolute authority of the ruling elite. Employing a qualitative-descriptive research design rooted in textual deconstruction, the study scrutinized selected poetic fragments to identify underlying systemic contradictions, aporias, and shifts in signification. The major findings revealed that Al-Farazdaq’s metaphors of political legitimacy frequently subverted their own surface-level assertions, creating a deep textual tension where overt praise and structural subversion operated simultaneously. The study concluded that the intense pressures of operating under imperial patronage catalyzed advanced aesthetic ironies within the text, demonstrating that classical Arabic political poetry possessed a fluid, multi-layered plurality of meaning that resisted dogmatic categorization.