“A Deconstructive Reading of the Opposition between Fate and Agency in the Tale of Sinbad Al-Bahri from One Thousand and One Nights: A Derridean Approach”

10.22075/lasem.2026.40739.1539

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 19 September 2026

Document Type : Scientific- Research Article

Authors

1 Kharazmi University

2 Kharazmi University, Faculty of Literature, Karaj ,Iran

Abstract
Deconstruction is a critical approach to textual analysis that challenges metaphysical binary oppositions and the centrality of speech in the Western philosophical tradition. This process not only dismantles dominant semantic structures but also, through the rereading and reconstruction of discourses, destabilizes the textual center of meaning and reveals multiple and shifting interpretations within an endless flow of readings. Since the stories of One Thousand and One Nights have a high potential for binary oppositions, they represent a suitable subject for deconstruction. One of the most prominent of these stories is the tale of Sinbad Al-Bahri, in which the opposition between fate and agency plays a decisive role in shaping the adventures and life path of the characters. This opposition can be reread from a deconstructive perspective. Accordingly, the present study examines the tale of Sinbad Al-Bahri from a deconstructive perspective using a descriptive-analytical method and a Derridean approach. the findings of the study revealed that the opposition between fate and agency in The Tale of Sinbad Al-Bahri does not remain a fixed binary; rather, it is constituted through a relationship in which each discourse derives its meaning from its relation to the other. The analysis also showed that, although fate appears as the dominant center at the explicit level of the narrative, its centrality is questioned from within the narrative structure itself. Accordingly, a Derridean reading demonstrates that meaning in the narrative is not grounded in a final center but emerges through the continuous interaction between the discourses of fate and agency, leaving interpretation open rather than fixed.

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  • Receive Date 26 February 2026
  • Revise Date 13 July 2026
  • Accept Date 20 July 2026
  • Publish Date 19 September 2026