| Abstract:
Rumi"s art of story-telling in Mathnawi has always been
enticing. An analytical study of the structure of the tales in
this book reveals Rumi"s craftsmanship in using devices to
add depth to his moral tales.
This paper attempts to depict the quantity and quality of
one of these techniques, that is, suspense, by focusing on a
structural study of some of the tales. The paper further
illustrates that Mollana"s secret in his bewitching tales lies
in deploying some major strategies such as switching to
seemingly peripheral subjects, making frequent references
to traditions, Quranic verses, embedding unforeseen tales -- mostly responses to the author"s free associations --within the original one and, finally, subduing the authorial
voice and letting the characters continue the line of the
story .
The article further discusses the impact such techniques
may have upon the reader, changing the reader
passive on-looker to one who participates in the action.
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