An Examination of Irony in the Narrative of Tuti-nama of Nakhshabi

This study examines irony as a narrative mechanism in Tuti-Nameh and analyzes its pivotal role in creating ambiguous and polysemous meanings. Employing a descriptive-analytical method, the present research seeks to answer the following questions: Which types of irony are predominant in this work, and how are the parrot's sub-narratives positioned ironically in relation to the main story? The findings indicate that situational irony is the most recurrent type in the book. This irony emerges from the meaningful contrast between the main story—which itself is framed within dramatic irony—and the parrot's embedded tales. While the sub-narratives ostensibly serve to advise and admonish Khojasteh, they inherently function as deception, mockery, or warning. The parrot employs two key techniques—ironic character equivalences and ironic endings—to place the sub-stories in an ironic position relative to the main narrative. Furthermore, other types of irony, such as verbal, moral, radical, fate, and Socratic irony, are present in the text with lesser frequency. The parrot character, with its dual role of well-wisher and deceiver, is the primary agent of semantic multiplicity, elevating Tuti-Nameh beyond a merely didactic and moralistic work. Given the fundamental importance of irony in the structure of this text, the present study offers a novel reading of its narrative capacities and hidden layers of meaning.