Functions of Describing the Building in the Novel "The Year of Turmoil" Written by Abbas Maroufi

Abstract

This study aims at extracting, classifying and analyzing the functions of describing the buildings in the novel “The Year of Turmoil” by Abbas Maroufi. Then it explores these functions in the formation of structure, as a result of its subsequent effects on the text and its relation with the reader. The findings of the study indicate that the architecture and the presence of buildings play the role as active elements in various dimensions of this novel. These functions can be categorized as follows: the realistic function of buildings in the story; the effect of buildings on the plot of the story; the role of buildings in space and scenery; the sympathetic and nostalgic effect of describing the buildings; the effect on developing characters and characterization; architecture; the regulative element of events and event; the identity-creator element of architecture. This case study not only examines the narrative style of such famous authors like Maroufi and the role of architecture in his works, but also it can unfold the relation between architecture and literature which is extensively represented in a Persian fiction.



Extended Abstract

This study aims at extracting, classifying and analyzing the functions of describing the buildings in the novel “The Year of Turmoil” by Abbas Maroufi. Then it explores these functions in the formation of structure, as a result of its subsequent effects on the text and its relation with the reader.

One of the materials utilized by storytellers is the architectural elements in the complex structure of the story. This usage has been manifested in various forms in narrative texts, including the creation of atmosphere, as an effective element in identifying or developing characters, and sometimes even as a component of the narrative plot and as an element of verification.

Architecture is widely used in Abbas Maroufi's novel “The Year of Turmoil”; therefore, it was chosen as a case to probe into the capacities and functions of describing buildings in Persian fiction. As exposing the codes and the elements of the intertwined structure of this novel with architecture is being discussed, the aim is to achieve a model to conduct a comprehensive research on the relationship between architecture and literature, a relationship which is overlooked by the researchers despite its significance.

This article is an interdisciplinary comparative study that analyzes atmosphere and architectural elements and their effect on the elements of the story using a qualitative and inductive method. To understand the function of describing the buildings in this work and consequently in fiction, first the types of buildings in various sorts of stories based on the relationship between the text and the real world were discussed: 1. using a real building in a real story; 2. using a real building in a fictional story; 3. using an imaginary building in a real story; and 4. using an imaginary building in a fictional story. According to this classification, the events, characters, and the buildings in “The Year of Turmoil” are all imaginary. Therefore, “Maroufi” is the omnipotent creator of the world of his narration, and thus, the architect of the buildings in this novel.

Based on the analysis, the functions of the description of the building and interior spaces in the novel “The Year of Turmoil” are as follows:

1. Using the building for verification by describing the exterior and interior spaces of the building to reflect the historical and cultural background of the assumed society and to imagine the events of the story as real by relying on the reader’s experience of the elements of the traditional atmosphere;

2. The effect of buildings on the plot of the story due to the effect of place and buildings on the causal relationship with other elements;

3. The role of buildings in creating atmosphere and crafting scenes; as the author in this novel, relying on his own spatial experience and also his reader’s, has made the sequence of the events understandable and accessible by depending on atmosphere creating and scene crafting and using buildings and architectural space;

4. Studying the influence on character development and characterization as in the relationship between the individual and the atmosphere in which they live or to which they react;

5. Influencing the reader by creating a sympathetic and nostalgic sense for a better understanding of the atmosphere and empathy with the characters of the novel;

6. Using descriptions, the author creates a relationship between events and atmosphere through a pattern of repetition of events, which is used to embed the critical points of the story, and using atmosphere as a place at which various and sometimes unusual events occur can be justified. Identifying the real place by using the building and imaginary events are also other functions of describing the building in this story.