A ‘Pleasurable Annihilation’: Reading John Keats’s Negative Capability Through Persian Mystical Fana

The ۱۸th and ۱۹th centuries witnessed a burgeoning fascination with Eastern cultures, which led to a surge in translations of Oriental texts, especially Persian mystical literature. These translations initiated the dissemination of Persian literature in England and established intercultural dialogue with Persian poetry. One notable concept that began to appear in English Romantic poetry is the mystical notion of fana – a dynamic process of self-transformation in which the Sufi aspirant moves beyond individual consciousness, shedding imperfect qualities to embody the perfect attributes of God. Similarly, John Keats’s Romantic concept of ‘negative capability’ reflects a form of receptive self-effacement and calls for a fluid, evolving identity. In both mystical and Romantic contexts, this annihilation of the static self does not signify physical death but rather a state of spiritual ecstasy – leading, in Persian poetry, to union with the Divine, and in Keats’s work, to a transformative, metamorphic identity. This paper examines intertextual references, influences, and shared thematic structures that transcend temporal, cultural, and linguistic divides. Drawing on Julia Kristeva’s theoretical framework, the analysis traces how both traditions employ feminine representation, imagery of intoxication, and lyrical ambiguity to articulate a fluid, self-negating subjectivity oriented toward transcendent union. It argues that Keats’s “chameleon poet” and the archetypal lover in Persian poetry participate in an intertextual dialogue that reveals deeper, transhistorical concerns with self-loss, receptivity, and the transformative potential of uncertainty. By situating these texts within a broader network of mystical and Romantic thought, this study underscores the value of cross-cultural literary analysis in uncovering shared human preoccupations with identity, creativity, and transcendence.

کلیدواژه ها:

Self-Annihilation ، Negative Capability ، Fana ، Persian Mystical Poetry