Sui presunti aspetti di misoginia nel "Libro dei re" di Ferdowsi, poeta persiano dell’XI sec.

In this paper we analyze some examples of alleged misogyny in the Shāh-nāmé (The book of Kings, of about 60000 couplets), the main work of the greatest Persian epic poet Abu l-Qāsem Ferdowsi of Tus (XI sec.). The author examines some negative statements about women scattered in the poem, distinguishing between the statements of authorship and those uttered by various characters; the author also examines some cases of obvious or suspected interpolation. Distinguishing between gynophoby, as a collective cultural attitude and mostly unconscious, and misogyny, as an individual attitude and often stated, the author concludes that in Ferdowsi, rather than misogyny, it would be appropriate to speak of a clear reflection in his work of the gynophobic background of a culture or age.