Abstract
The visual representation of ancient tales serves as a gateway for the audience to enter the narrative space. Images present a kind of aesthetic culture and make it easier for the audience to understand the stories. After lithographic book illustration became popular a decade after the industry entered Iran, works with various themes were illustrated. A later example of stories related to Akhlāq-e Asāsī (Mahzab Kalila wa Dimna) was published in 1329 AH with the participation of Mirza Hossein Ali Khan Mosavar. The purpose of this research is to address the issue of how well the images match the narrative text, given the book's primary audience, which were students in the early years of education. Subsequently, the central question is: At what stage of conformity are the examination of the human-centered visual narratives in the lithographic book Akhlāq-e Asāsī based on Perry Nudelman's theory of text and image? There are different methods and principles for studying the interaction between texts and images, and this study examines the aforementioned issue from the perspective of Perry Nudelman's six-level theory of the relationship between text and image. The population and statistical sample, which includes the human-centered depictions of the book Akhlāq-e Asāsī, have been examined in a descriptive-analytical manner, with the limits of the relationship being examined. Based on the results, the illustrator of this book, Hossein Ali Khan, rather than fully following the text of the story in order to implement the images, was content with creating a general atmosphere of the main characters' encounters and did not consider details such as the characters' expressions based on their characteristics and performance in the story, the precise spatialization of the place where the narrative takes place, and the presence of complementary or less important characters for a more detailed visual description of the story. Overall, the works studied remain at the first, second, and third levels of Perry Nudelman's theory.
 
Introduction
With the advent of lithography in Iran (1249 AH/ 1833 CE), the use of illustrations gradually emerged as an element to enhance comprehension of textual content and augment aesthetic qualities. This research examines the human-centered visual narratives in Volume I of the lithographed book Akhlāq-e Asāsī. Volume I of this collection, titled Fundamental Ethics, is essentially a simplified adaptation of Kalila wa Dimna. The author facilitated comprehension by eliminating complex vocabulary, challenging phrases, and Arabic poetry, thereby tailoring it for educational use in schools. The text abounds in lessons on moral refinement, avoidance of greed, and the virtues of social cooperation, effectively charting a model of ethical and honorable living through accessible language.This study analyzes the illustrations in Volume I (published 1329 AH /1911 CE), preserved at the Astan Quds Razavi Library under accession number 25202. Given the profound relationship between text and image in illustrated books, the primary objectives are to investigate: The role of images in clarifying narrative concepts for the audience, The synergy between images and storyline progression. The core research question addresses the analytical examination of text-image interdependence in human-centric illustrations, based on Perry Nodelman’s theory and its developments. Nodelman contends that an image’s primary function is information transmission, with effective illustrations conveying six distinct types of information compared to text. When engaging with Akhlāq-e Asāsī, the audience utilizes two distinct media—linguistic and visual—continuously shifting focus between textual and pictorial information. The coordination of these elements aids narrative comprehension and plays a vital pedagogical role. Images synergistically enhance the transmission of textual themes, making them more impactful. Text-image interdependence constitutes the core function of illustrations; fidelity to the text without distortion is essential, particularly in educational books. This becomes critical when audiences rely heavily on images for comprehension—as students often treat visuals as authoritative references for interpreting text. Consequently, scrutinizing this interdependence—especially in historical books constrained by technical limitations—holds significant importance. This necessitates re-examining such works through contemporary theoretical frameworks and methodologies.
 
Research Method
The present study was organized based on a descriptive-analytical method, utilizing Perry Nodelman’s theory with a quantitative approach. The statistical population and samples consist of Volume 1 of the book Akhlāq-e Asāsī, comprising 15 chapters, 48 stories, and 60 illustrations, of which 22 human-centered works were examined.
 
Theoretical Foundations
In his study of text-image interaction, Perry Nodelman categorizes the information conveyed by images to the audience into six broad levels: Level 1: Textual information is transmitted through the image. This represents the most basic form of text-image correlation, where the image confirms the text’s message. Level 2: The image provides purely visual equivalents of words. The audience refers to the image after encountering the written text to see how words manifest visually. Level 3: The audience discovers that the image conveys something words cannot—achieved through subtle means. Level 4: The image depicts appearances of objects or phenomena not mentioned in the text. This level reveals narrative details that even highly precise text cannot convey. Level 5: The image effortlessly communicates character information absent in the text—details that would otherwise require extensive wording. Level 6: Novel details unmentioned in the text but present in the image. Here, images can teach the audience new information, but only if the reader is already familiar with the narrative’s subject through the text and can use it as a guide to interpret these details. In summary, according to Nodelman, an image either: Confirms textual information and aligns with the text (Levels 1–2), adds information beyond the text (Levels 3–6), or fails functionally by being incapable of transmitting textual information.
 
Conclusion
The latter half of the Qajar period coincided with a relative expansion of book-reading culture. The advent of printing technology enabled the publication of literary works across diverse genres, making books accessible to broader segments of society—unlike earlier times when they were confined to specific elites. Schools were among the institutions utilizing printed materials. A portion of these printed books intended for students featured illustrations to enhance the retention of written concepts through visual reinforcement, as exemplified by Akhlāq-e Asāsī (Basic Ethics), a prevalent educational text of the era. The illustrations by Hassan-Ali Khan functioned as complementary elements to the text. In this study, applying Perry Nodelman’s theory, all examined works achieved the first and second—and occasionally third—levels of the six-tiered framework for text-image relationships. This signifies that: Levels 1 & 2: The images conveyed the text’s basic information and visual equivalents of vocabulary, enabling readers to recognize that illustrations depict and communicate what words cannot, achieved through subtle means. Levels 4–6: The illustrator consciously avoided higher levels: Level 4: Omitting phenomena not mentioned in the text, which could have revealed narrative details beyond textual precision. Level 5: Excluding unmentioned characters whose inclusion would require extensive textual elaboration. Level 6: Neglecting details absent from the text that could offer novel insights and learning opportunities through imagery. Thus, while the illustrations confirmed and aligned with the text (Levels 1–2), they refrained from adding information (Levels 3–6). The imagery remained simplistic, devoid of creative visual layering, predominantly depicting main characters engaged in dialogue within minimally constructed settings. In essence, Hassan-Ali Khan prioritized generalized depictions of character interactions over rigorous adherence to narrative specifics. He disregarded details such as: Characters’ expressive states reflecting their roles, Precise environmental rendering of story settings, Inclusion of secondary characters to enrich visual narration. Consequently, the illustrations appear relatively rudimentary, lacking complex or profound semantic layers to visually reflect the tales. This approach likely stemmed from the straightforward cognitive framework of early-grade students, for whom foundational literacy and moral education already posed significant challenges. Introducing conceptually intricate illustrations risked confusion and ambiguity, potentially undermining the core function of textbook imagery: to clarify and amplify textual comprehension. Hence, Hasan-‘Ali Khan adopted a simple, direct, and unembellished methodology for conceptualizing and executing his works.