The basis of humor is to create a situation or a set of unexpected situations for the audience. Situational humor is an excellent and deep humor with the image of people's situations, events and actions. This type of humor is based on images, ideas and concepts and a mixture of behavior, situation, scene and speech, which can be achieved by understanding the space and architecture of the work.Atar Neishabouri is one of the poets who has reflected the sufferings and social anomalies of his era by creating humorous situations in his stories. The current research, which is written in a descriptive-analytical method, examines the types of humorous situations in Attar's works and seeks to answer the question of the elements that caused the creation of humorous situations in Attar's masnavis.What are the factors and situations in Attar's masnavis that cause humor? Based on the investigations carried out in the Masnavis of Asrarnameh, Elahi Nameh, Plahab Nameh and Logic of Al-Tair, it was revealed; The presence of factors such as characterization, words and speech, design, time and place in these works have often created humorous situations
 
Extended abstract
 
1. Introduction
The basis of humor is the creation of a situation or a set of unexpected situations for the audience. Situational humor is a refined and profound form of humor that emerges through the depiction of people’s situations, events, and actions. This type of humor is based on images, ideas, and concepts, blending behavior, setting, scene, and dialogue, which can be understood by analyzing the spatial and structural elements of the work. Breaking norms and disrupting cause-and-effect relationships within the fundamental elements of a story or a performance—such as characterization, dialogue, time and place, plot, and action—provides an optimal framework for creating a humorous atmosphere and situation. (Soleimani, 2016: 44-49, 93) This form of humor is structured around a paradoxical combination of seriousness and amusement, built upon unexpected situations that engage the audience. In its deeper layers, it reflects the author’s satirical perspective on the flawed and misleading social structures of human society. The language of mystics is inherently suggestive, paradoxical, imaginative, relative, and dual-layered. As such, it is particularly well-suited for the literary genres of humor and irony. Among the primary reasons mystics employ humorous and ironic language are the teaching of ethical virtues and mystical conduct, enhancing the audience’s comprehension, and providing solace to troubled and suffering souls. (Foladi, 2006: 37) Some scholars argue that a Sufi humorist is both a reformer of individuals and a reformer of society. As a perfectionist, such a mystic opposes anything base and meaningless. Witnessing personal and social flaws, he blends the bitterness of shortcomings with the sweetness of humor, making them more palatable so that individuals and society may confront and remedy their defects. (Zarin Koob, 2009: 170-171) Attar Neishabouri is among the poets who frequently employed anecdotes and allegories to convey humorous messages. Humor constitutes one of his distinctive linguistic capabilities, which he utilized to express mystical concepts. Generally, the effect of situational humor is more prominent in stories and plays due to the inherent structure of dramatic logic. Stories, through the creation of diverse imagery and a space interwoven with both imagination and reality, establish a connection with the audience. In addition to addressing individual and social issues, they also provide entertainment for readers or listeners. (Fanny, R., Fazeli, F., & Ranjbar, 2017: 170) It is evident that Attar’s humor, as a mystic, is closely linked to the emotions and perspectives of a particular social class in his era—namely, the sincere and pure-hearted Sufis. Thus, anything that contradicts these ideals is deemed worthy of satire and sarcasm.
 
2- Research methodology
In this essay, the author has collected the research data through a library-based approach, relying on library documents. Then, he has investigated and analyzed situational humor in Attar's Masnavis using a descriptive-analytical method. Humor is one of the main tools in mystical texts and one of the fundamental features of Attar's language, which is reflected in most of his works. Based on this, examining mystical anecdotes from the perspective of situational humor, and understanding their spatial and structural aspects, not only helps to familiarize readers with the concept of situational humor as a literary genre in poetic works but also unveils the secrets, meanings, and hidden layers of mystical literature. This essay explores situational humor in four of Attar's Masnavis: Asrarnameh, Elahinameh, Mosibatnameh, and Manteq al-Tayr. It seeks to answer the question of which factors and situations in Attar's Masnavis contribute to humor and what techniques the poet employed to create humorous situations.
 
3-Discussion
Humor is divided into two major categories based on verbal context and structure: phrasal humor and situational humor. Phrasal humor is formed through linguistic play, utilizing elements such as appropriateness, contrast, word similarity, and rhetorical devices like brevity, rhyme, pun, ambiguity, and paradox. In contrast, situational humor is based on imagery, imagination, and conceptual structures, where the spatial arrangement of characters and objects within the narrative and their interactions create humor. Situational humor in a story is essentially the creation of a humorous atmosphere, shaped by key narrative elements such as characters, plot, behavior, events, time, and place. Based on this, it can be said that situational humor presents a depiction of human conditions, events, and actions in a way that involves analogy, juxtaposition, contrast, and comparison. This type of humor is derived from a combination of behavior, situation, setting, and speech, but its primary focus lies in the situation itself rather than verbal wordplay. Regarding how situational humor emerges, it is said: "The author creates a humorous atmosphere by displacing characters and placing them in disproportionate temporal and spatial conditions or altering their status. In this type of humor, the resulting conflict and confrontation generate humor, independent of linguistic expressions and phrases." (Qeysari & Sarfi, 2009: 7)
Situational humor can manifest even in serious works, typically arising from the development of an unexpected situation, event, or occurrence. The foundation of humor lies in the creation of unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances for the audience. The most conventional form of unexpected situations is "incongruity", wherein an actor presents a message or idea, situates it within a specific context, and then, through narrative techniques, dramatic actions, or performance, establishes a framework—only to abruptly disrupt or reframe it. The tension between the initial framing and the subsequent reframing results in the audience's amused reaction. The degree of humor in situational comedy depends on several factors, including the strength of the imagery crafted by the author and the depth of effort invested in shaping those images, as well as the audience’s perceptual ability, which is closely linked to their mental visualization skills. (Karimian, 2009: 44) Characterization, dialogue, time, setting, plot, and behavior are the most essential elements in dramatic and fictional works. Nearly all prominent contemporary satirists agree that breaking conventional narrative structures, disrupting habitual cause-and-effect relationships, and introducing sudden and unexpected twists in plot, characterization, time, and setting are the most effective techniques for generating a humorous atmosphere.
 
4-Conclusion
Attar Neishabouri, who was suffering and tormented by seeing the deep difference between the existing life and the idea of a normal life, was able to achieve his high goal and instill his desired concepts with the tool of humor. In his Masnavis, Attar has used almost all situational possibilities for humor. The description of the behavioral, psychological, and social characteristics of the characters and the communication network between them has created a potential capacity for comedy in his works. The ways that Attar has used to create humorous situations in his Masnavis include: creating insane characters, creating contradictory characters against each other, creating incompatible characters together, creating characters with contradictory behaviors, and creating humorous situations using the names of the characters. Attar has also created humorous situations through behavioral surprises, unexpected turns in the story plot, displacement of values, inherently humorous designs, and finally, placing the characters in irrelevant and inappropriate times and places. The inconsistency between fictional characters, meaning the contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, has led to the creation of fear, anger, and other negative emotions in the satirical characters. The points and characteristics that Attar has targeted with humor are both his own mental concerns and a model of the actions and behaviors of people in society. In his works, features such as hypocrisy, greed, injustice, cruelty, pretentious and boastful people, insincere worshippers, cruel and unfair kings, etc., are always subjected to satire, mockery, and criticism. The last point is that Attar's humor does not only remind us of human flaws; rather, it also emphasizes human virtues and desirable qualities in contrast to vices. He laughs at people's faults to make them reflect, correct their faults, and not behave like the condemned characters. With his jokes and humorous language, he disgraces those who contribute to the abnormality of society. Attar's humor has a clear and exaggerated educational purpose, and its goal is to serve moral betterment and a better way of life.
 
 
 
 
 

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