University of Sistan and Baluchestan Journal of Lyrical Literature Researches 2008-5737 Articles in Press 2026 01 27 Analysis of Nizami Ganjavi's "Sandalwood Dome" Story Based on Tzvetan Todorov's Narratology Theory Analysis of Nizami Ganjavi's "Sandalwood Dome" Story Based on Tzvetan Todorov's Narratology Theory 9705 10.22111/jllr.2026.51496.3325 FA Heydar Ali Dahmarde Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Zabol Saeed Ghafrooi Master's student of Persian language and literature, University of Zabol 0009-0005-0826-5016 Journal Article 2025 03 24 Tzvetan Todorov (1939–2017), the Bulgarian-French theorist, regarded narratology as a branch of structuralism and divided it into three main aspects: syntactic, verbal, and semantic. In the Haft Paykar, Nezami Ganjavi crafted symbolic tales that are particularly rich in both structural complexity and ethical significance. One such tale, “The Story of the Sandalwood Dome,” stands out for its sharp contrast between good and evil and its clearly delineated cause-and-effect relationships, making it especially suitable for structural analysis. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, this study examines how the syntactic, verbal, and semantic aspects of the narrative are organized according to Todorov’s framework, and explores the ways in which these aspects construct causal relationships, modes of expression, and ethical implications. The findings reveal that the syntactic aspect—through its core propositions, five-phase narrative progression, and linear chaining—establishes the story’s coherence and causal logic. The verbal aspect, characterized by a predominantly indicative mood, strict chronological order, an external-to-internal perspective on the portrayal of good and evil, and a guiding authorial tone marked by pronoun shifts, propels the action forward while lending the relationship between the narrator and Bahram Gur a distinctly didactic character. Finally, the semantic aspect transforms the fundamental good/evil opposition into a moral journey. Tzvetan Todorov (1939–2017), the Bulgarian-French theorist, regarded narratology as a branch of structuralism and divided it into three main aspects: syntactic, verbal, and semantic. In the Haft Paykar, Nezami Ganjavi crafted symbolic tales that are particularly rich in both structural complexity and ethical significance. One such tale, “The Story of the Sandalwood Dome,” stands out for its sharp contrast between good and evil and its clearly delineated cause-and-effect relationships, making it especially suitable for structural analysis. Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, this study examines how the syntactic, verbal, and semantic aspects of the narrative are organized according to Todorov’s framework, and explores the ways in which these aspects construct causal relationships, modes of expression, and ethical implications. The findings reveal that the syntactic aspect—through its core propositions, five-phase narrative progression, and linear chaining—establishes the story’s coherence and causal logic. The verbal aspect, characterized by a predominantly indicative mood, strict chronological order, an external-to-internal perspective on the portrayal of good and evil, and a guiding authorial tone marked by pronoun shifts, propels the action forward while lending the relationship between the narrator and Bahram Gur a distinctly didactic character. Finally, the semantic aspect transforms the fundamental good/evil opposition into a moral journey. https://jllr.usb.ac.ir/article_9705_4258ef67c7275b230899282c12b59629.pdf