دانشگاه اصفهان فنون ادبی 20088027 مقالات آماده انتشار 2026 08 17 The Concept of Literary Genres in Mikhail Bakhtin’s Theoretical Framework The Concept of Literary Genres in Mikhail Bakhtin’s Theoretical Framework 30698 10.22108/liar.2026.149535.2610 FA زهرا کرمی دانشجوی دکتری زبان و ادبیات فارسی، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران زهره نجفی دانشیار گروه زبان و ادبیات فارسی، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران Journal Article 2026 06 29 The concept of literary genre has long been a central issue in literary criticism. Across different historical periods, various criteria have been used to classify literary works, including formal elements such as modes of expression, stylistic features, and rhetorical devices, as well as internal components such as mood, plot, and characterization. The present study, employing a descriptive-analytical method, seeks to clarify the criteria that Mikhail Bakhtin proposes for the classification of literary genres and to explain the concept of the chronotope, which plays a central role in his theory. The aim is to provide a more precise framework for understanding the classification of Persian literary genres.<br /> <br /> According to Bakhtin, every literary work represents the world and reality as they are understood within the consciousness of the author and the society to which he belongs. Literature thus reflects historical forms of consciousness, and the history of literature—and consequently the history of genres—corresponds to the development of human consciousness. From this perspective, the criteria for determining genre must be epistemological, since they relate to the ways in which consciousness perceives and understands reality. Because the fundamental dimensions through which reality is experienced are time and space, Bakhtin introduces the concept of the chronotope, or time-space continuum, as the primary criterion for genre classification. Through this concept, literary genres can be defined, historically situated, and genealogically analyzed according to their distinctive temporal and spatial configurations. The concept of literary genre has long been a central issue in literary criticism. Across different historical periods, various criteria have been used to classify literary works, including formal elements such as modes of expression, stylistic features, and rhetorical devices, as well as internal components such as mood, plot, and characterization. The present study, employing a descriptive-analytical method, seeks to clarify the criteria that Mikhail Bakhtin proposes for the classification of literary genres and to explain the concept of the chronotope, which plays a central role in his theory. The aim is to provide a more precise framework for understanding the classification of Persian literary genres.<br /> <br /> According to Bakhtin, every literary work represents the world and reality as they are understood within the consciousness of the author and the society to which he belongs. Literature thus reflects historical forms of consciousness, and the history of literature—and consequently the history of genres—corresponds to the development of human consciousness. From this perspective, the criteria for determining genre must be epistemological, since they relate to the ways in which consciousness perceives and understands reality. Because the fundamental dimensions through which reality is experienced are time and space, Bakhtin introduces the concept of the chronotope, or time-space continuum, as the primary criterion for genre classification. Through this concept, literary genres can be defined, historically situated, and genealogically analyzed according to their distinctive temporal and spatial configurations.