بازنمایی رویدادهای مشروطه در رمان معاصر فارسی از منظر رویکرد تاریخ جایگزین

The Constitutional Revolution, along with its preceding events and aftermath, has long served as an inspiration for numerous literary works. Contemporary Persian novels have also been influenced by this pivotal historical period, with writers interpreting it based on their knowledge, creativity, and ideological perspectives. This study focuses on a select group of Persian historical novels that use the Constitutional events—particularly the bombardment of the parliament—as the primary narrative setting. The purpose of this article is to explore how these events are represented through the lens of Alternate History in three novels: Khandeh-ye-Khorshid, Ashk-e Mah [The Laughter of the Sun, the Tear of the Moon], Talar-e Aeeneh [Hall of Mirrors], and Bi-ketabi [Booklessness]. Findings reveal that the authors of these works have employed the relatively new approach of Alternate History to craft their narratives. In this approach, the writer redirects the course of actual history from a crucial turning point toward an imagined outcome. In the three mentioned novels, each author selects a significant event from the Constitutional era as a historical pivot, but then constructs alternative events and consequences around it—constituting an alternate historical narrative. In Khandeh-ye-Khorshid, Ashk-e Mah and Bi-ketabi, the bombardment of the parliament serves as the central historical turning point. In The Talar-e Aeeneh, the protests on the 19th of Tir (July 10) and the martyrdom of Seyyed Abdulhamid—the first martyr of the Constitutional Movement—constitute the pivotal moment, whose consequences, including the subsequent bombardment of the parliament, drastically alter the fate of the novel’s protagonist. It appears that one of the authors’ main objectives in adopting this approach is, on the one hand, to describe and remind readers of the consequences of Constitutional events and their impact on the lives of ordinary people, and on the other hand, to draw attention to the historical realities of this period. By critiquing the historical memory of modern Iranian individuals and emphasizing the reexamination of past experiences, the authors aim to shape a renewed intellectual and idealistic trajectory for society.
Introduction
In contemporary Iranian fiction, a specific genre known as Alternate History has emerged, which seeks to critically re-examine the past by rewriting historical events and creating hypothetical trajectories divergent from the official historical record. This study investigates three Iranian novels that employ this approach:  Khandeh-ye Khorshid, Ashk-e Mah [The Laughter of the Sun, the Tear of the Moon] by Reza Jolaei, Talar-e Aeeneh [Hall of Mirrors] by Amirhasan Cheheltan, and Bi-ketabi [Booklessness] by Mohammadreza Sharafi-Khaboshan. All three novels center on the Constitutional Revolution and reimagine its political and social events through the lens of alternate history.
 
Research Objectives
This research aims to analyze how the key elements of alternate history—namely the Juncture Point, Scenario/Plot, and Timeline—are utilized in these literary works. The primary goal is to demonstrate how the authors use these narrative tools to reconstruct the past and generate alternative historical narratives, while pursuing critical, social, or cultural objectives.
 
Methodology
The study employs a qualitative, structural analysis with a focus on narratological and historiographical criticism. The data consists of the full texts of the novels, examined through descriptive-analytical methods informed by theories of alternate history, narrative criticism, and literary historiography. The analysis encompasses not only narrative elements but also dimensions such as tone, narrative perspective, temporal structure, and the intersection between factual history and fictional storytelling.
 
Analysis and Findings
In Khandeh-ye Khorshid, Ashk-e Mah, the historical juncture is the bombardment of the parliament, with the introduction of two secondary characters linked to the jewels “Khandeh-ye Khorshid” and “Ashk-e Mah”, which directs the narrative towards a new historical path. The novel features a complex, nonlinear structure. Shifting narrators in each chapter, diverse textual formats (telegram, memoir, document, letter, monologue), and frequent temporal jumps provide the reader with a multilayered narrative experience. The timeline is designed with parallel and sometimes conflicting branches, reflecting a polyphonic view of history. A notable critique of this novel is the blurred boundary between historical fact and fictional narrative, which may challenge the reader’s ability to distinguish between historical documentation and imaginative storytelling.
In Talar-e Aeeneh, the pivotal historical event is the death of Seyyed Abdolhamid on July 10, 1906, who is regarded as the first martyr of the Constitutional Revolution. This novel presents a coherent plot with causal relationships, a fixed omniscient narrator, linear chronology, and explicit analyses by narrators and characters. Thus, the alternate history here appears as a realistic extension of official history. The author emphasizes women’s participation in the revolution, especially from both affluent and lower classes, shaping the timeline around gender demands. The alternate history technique in this work relies on altering historical causes and factors without distorting events. The author attempts to revive a neglected narrative of the revolution by highlighting women’s roles.
In Bi-ketabi, the juncture is also the bombardment of the parliament, but the story unfolds through the first-person perspective of Mirza Yaghoub, a mercenary book dealer motivated solely by profit and indifferent to revolutionary ideals. Its plot is simpler than the other two novels; however, the narrator’s psychological and inner structure, recurrent flashbacks, and internal dialogues create a more intricate timeline. A unique feature is the symbolic character of the stepfather, who serves as a historical analyst and a figure of caution. The novel concludes with a change in the fate of the historical figure Lesān al-Dowleh, symbolizing the fall of tyranny. Similar to the first novel, the frequent quotations from ancient texts occasionally blur the distinction between historical reality and fiction for the reader.

Conclusion
The findings indicate that these three novels employ three distinct approaches to alternate history: Changing the purpose of historical events (Khandeh-ye Khorshid, Ashk-e Mah) Altering causes and historical factors (Talar-e Aeeneh) Modifying the fate of historical figures (Bi-ketabi) Overall, the alternate history approach in these works functions as a tool for idealistic vision, critique of the status quo, historical reconstruction, rethinking collective memory, and envisioning alternative historical possibilities. A prominent feature is the emphasis on ordinary people—especially women and the marginalized—in the historical narrative, aiming to offer an unofficial and polyphonic perspective of the past.