THE ARTISTIC, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND SOCIOPOLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF GULKHANIY’S "ZARBULMASAL" IN UZBEK CLASSICAL LITERATURE

Abstract

This academic paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Muhammad Sharif Gulkhaniy’s masterwork, "Zarbulmasal" (The Collection of Proverbs). Composed during the early 19th century within the intellectual and literary milieu of the Kokand Khanate, "Zarbulmasal" stands as a monumental synthesis of Turkic folklore, animal allegories, and biting sociopolitical satire. This study investigates the structural framework of the text, its allegorical representation of 19th-century feudal society, the pedagogical and didactic functions of its extensive proverb integration, and its profound influence on the evolution of modern Uzbek prose and realism. By examining the interpersonal dynamics of the central characters—specifically the owls Yaphalak and Bayogli—this thesis reveals how Gulkhaniy utilized humor and allegory to critique corruption, moral degradation, and bureaucratic inefficiency under autocratic rule.