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Mehdi Saeedi,
Volume 13, Issue 49 (12-2020)
Volume 13, Issue 49 (12-2020)
Abstract
In the last few decades, the events and developments in both Iranian society and the world have led to the formation of women’s fiction writing in diaspora. In these stories, the protagonists are mostly women and, in contrary to traditional structures, women are not defined in relation to men, rather, following a deconstructive method, women’s views are considered as core views and the stories are narrated through their viewpoints to the world and also to the men. The current paper has indicated that these writers had maintained a relation between introducing women’s world to their readers and preserving the aesthetics in their stories. Regarding themes, some have incorporated feminine narratives to represent political issues, while others focused on identity issues and portrayed women as knowing subjects. Therefore, first person narrator is mostly adopted in these stories, enabling them to focus on the protagonist’s inner thoughts. In other words, it could be said that the writer is embodied in the first person narrator, the protagonist. Other themes include stories about sexual matters and narratives on everyday lives. The last category is mostly considered as pop literature and, though lacking a strong narrative structure, has attracted a significant readership
Hashem Sadeghi Mohsen Abad,
Volume 13, Issue 52 (12-2020)
Volume 13, Issue 52 (12-2020)
Abstract
Realist novels strive to present an objective image of reality by mainly using impersonal impartial narrators. Moreover, an intrusive narrator leads to a fabricated narrative and overshadows its verisimilitude. The present study aimed to investigate all kinds of intrusion by narrators in the Persian novels from 1921 till 1941 in terms of realism. To do so, first the signs of narrator intrusion were identified and categorized in the novels under study. Then, narrator intrusion was investigated in terms of components of realism. The main narrator intrusion techniques included narrator’s self-expression, explanations about narrative act, judgments about story characters and actions, generalizations of emotions and actions of characters, and delivery of sociopolitical speeches by the narrator/author. The results revealed that some narrator intrusion techniques, especially narrator’s self-expression and explanations about narrative act, had roots in the novelty of the novel genre and had been influenced by the then common narrative models in the traditional genres such as storytelling and the like. Explanations about narrative act may weaken the illusion of reality and verisimilitude by highlighting the constructivism of a literary work. Furthermore, a belief in the educational function of the literature and the delivery of long ideological speeches would lead to the inconsistency of journalistic missions with the realist criteria for novel narration and thus would undermine an absent or impartial narrator.
Vajiheh Mesbah, Farzaneh Farrokhfar,
Volume 14, Issue 54 (7-2021)
Volume 14, Issue 54 (7-2021)
Abstract
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.
Elham Arabshahi Kashi, Reza Shajari,
Volume 16, Issue 61 (7-2023)
Volume 16, Issue 61 (7-2023)
Abstract
Ismail Fasih is one of the most famous and prolific writers in the field of fiction, especially police and detective literature. Some of his works such as Shahbaz and Jagdan, Sharab Kham, Dard Siavash, Del Kor etc. mostly have a police and detective aspect despite the fame of this author. As the results of this research show, he was strongly influenced by Agatha Christie and her detective novels. Thus, if we compare the police-related works of these two authors, we can find many common elements in the field of police literature in their works. Ismail Fasih was influenced by Agatha Christie not only in the choice of the narrator's language and the way of characterization, but also in the choice of the plot of some stories. This assertion can be proved by comparing the texts of the two authors. In this research, the authors have tried to explain and prove the influence of Agatha Christie's eloquence in a descriptive-analytical way and with the method of library documents. This is a work that has not been done before by the researchers and critics of fiction literature and it is new in its kind.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Detective fiction is one of the most popular branches of fiction all over the world. Mystery novels are one of the types of this literary genre that rely on the detective element and try to decipher the strange crime that has happened. The father of this style is Edgar Allan Poe and the queen is Agatha Christie. In Iran, the study of police stories in the style of Western literature began with the end of the Qajar period and gradually became one of the most popular genres in the years 1320-1300. The translation of such stories from the end of this period encouraged Iranian writers to create such works. Amir Ashiri (born in 1303 A.H. in Tehran) can be called one of the founders of police literature in Iran with 58 historical, criminal and police books. He was mainly influenced by the James Bond movies. Ismail Fasih is also one of the other authors of the police genre whose works were very popular in Iran in the 1960s and 1970s. Of course, Fasih also had a significant influence in this field, and by comparing literature, one can understand the similarities between these writers and the greats of the police genre. Although police literature is one of the new genres of literature, it has a long history, and in order to explore its roots, one should refer to the history of all the murders and the human efforts in the field of discovering the murderer. It can be said that the human desire for myth-making and storytelling and the discovery of the mysteries that are at the core of such stories have caused the emergence of such a genre. The main elements of detective-police stories and films are: "mystery", "murderer", "victim", "detective", "suspect". By studying these elements in the works of famous Iranian and foreign writers and based on the rules of comparative literature, it is possible to study the whole intellectual and literary exchanges of these writers on an extraterritorial level. As in this work, when a number of Ismail Fasih's works are studied on the basis of the principles of comparative literature, his entire intellectual and literary exchanges with Agatha Christie, one of the pioneers of crime literature in the West, are also studied.
2. Literature Review
Fasih is one of the pioneers of police and crime literature in Iran, whose story-writing style is a combination of Western and Iranian narrative styles and is strongly influenced by the writing style of great writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Christie. In this research, while analyzing and examining a number of Agatha Christie's eloquent novels, a comparative comparison and examination of the storytelling style and practical techniques of these two authors is also revealed, and it becomes clear that Agatha Christie's footprints can be seen in many of his eloquent works.
3.Methodology
In this research, the authors have tried to explain and prove the influence of Agatha Christie's eloquence in a descriptive-analytical way and with the method of library documents. It is a work that has not been done before by the researchers and critics of fiction literature and it is new in its kind.
4. Results
Detective literature is one of the most important branches of fiction literature, which has many fans all over the world, including Iran. The researches have shown that Fasih has artistic, literary and intellectual creativity and was able to create harmony between the dialogues and characters. However, in some of the themes and characterizations and story lines and the creation of plot spaces, similarities can be seen between his works and the works of Agatha Christie, although these similarities do not indicate a direct influence of the Iranian writer from the West; rather, it is mostly the result of the requirements of the detective genre. In the comparison of Agatha Christie's and Ismail Fasih's narrative style and techniques, an attempt has been made to examine these similarities as well as the differences to some extent; As in the eloquent detective novels, he has been very powerful in describing the characters, creating a state of suspense and using ambiguity and doubt in the audience's mind and creating a protagonist like Agatha. But in Agatha's works, the variety of fictional characters and the creation of complex puzzles and the creation of an atmosphere of terror are much more. In other words, Fasih's narrative style is a combination of Western and Iranian narrative styles, and it can be said that while studying and reviewing the works of Western writers in this genre, Fasih was able to implement the results of his studies in the best possible way. localize and attract the attention of the audience.
, Arman Hedari, , ,
Volume 16, Issue 62 (10-2023)
Volume 16, Issue 62 (10-2023)
Abstract
While the quality of women's lives and their status and position can be indicative of the prominent cultural and civilizational features of a society, in most societies, especially in our patriarchal society, we witness a kind of liminality, insignificance, and "persistence" of women in the face of both tangible opportunities and imaginary constraints and stereotypes. Since the genre of the novel is one of the most significant mediums that indirectly reflect the symbols of this situation, this study explores the representation of women and the dominant but implicit assumptions in the selected novels of the First Pahlavi era (Mohammad Hejazi's trilogy) from a sociological perspective, using a critical discourse analysis approach. The data analysis was conducted thematically, with the unit of analysis being the "sentence," and utilizing previous research as a foundation for credibility assessment. The results of this study showed that women in Hejazi's stories in the trilogy of Superior Spear and the Religion-Tradition-Modernism trilogy are represented in binary and ternary categorizations. Contrary to the prevailing mental stereotype of the "oppressed woman," the role, characteristics, caricature, and narrative have not been reduced to a single attribute for all women. Based on this, we observe a commitment to both discourse patterns, both conservative and progressive, fuzzy and middle-ground, oscillating between religion and modernity, conservatism and progressivism, which has sometimes led to a "discourse conflict”.
Extended Abstract
The social status and quality of life for women in any society can be considered as indicators and criteria for the cultural and civilizational characteristics of that society. Throughout history, in all societies, especially in patriarchal societies, the identities and social roles of women have been overlooked or considered insignificant. Despite unprecedented changes in creating structural opportunities for Iranian women, they are still predominantly portrayed within traditional gender roles, stereotypes, and assumptions. Gender stereotypes can be analyzed indirectly and metaphorically in common cultural artifacts such as proverbs, textbooks, films, magazines, and popular novels of each era. Among these, the genre of the novel has allocated the largest share in discourse analysis, and women and their attributed roles have always been prominent topics in social novels. In the pursuit of continuity, prominence, and perpetuation of the representation of Iranian women as oppressed and objectified, this study attempts to analyze and identify the representation of women's identities in three novels (trilogy) by Mohammad Hejazi, using a comprehensive sociological perspective and a critical discourse analysis approach. The fundamental research questions are: 1) How are women represented in Mohammad Hejazi's trilogy of novels? 2) What are the important sociological components documented for women, such as roles, identities, executive characteristics, etc., in these novels? 3) To what extent have the constructed attributes contributed to the reproduction or alteration of the status and identity of women in the society of that era? 4) Have the features and representations presented in the selected novels portrayed a "homogeneous" image of women or not?
To achieve this, in the descriptive phase, the themes, elements, and key concepts related to the subject of the study in the text are identified, and subjects, characters, traits, and roles of women and their presence are reconstructed. In the interpretive phase, we delve into the contextual and intertextual aspects of women's subjects and analyze the generated themes. In the explanatory phase, we focus on the social framework, discursive actions, and the relationship between the text and social structures. The use and application of previous research, as well as consultation with expert qualitative researchers for the correction and confirmation of extracted content have always been the researchers' concern. The unit of analysis is the sentence.
The first reading of Hejazi's stories indicates a diverse spectrum of women in mainly binary categorizations and confrontations. These attributes and categorizations, which are the subject of ideological disputes, foster a continuous discursive conflict within themselves. By placing women's subjects in their own spatiotemporal context, patterns can be extracted, which categorize women into traditional/modern, active/passive, educated/uneducated, weak and oppressed/strong. Hidden patriarchy, situational objectification-subjection, overall ambiguity, women in the struggle between tradition and modernity, and women at the crossroads of modernity and religion are among the main themes covering the representation of women in the selected texts.
According to Hejazi, as claimed by Fairclough, while identifying the assumptions of the prevailing ideology that the people of Iran interacted with women on that day and led to the plasticity of feminine identity, he criticizes and challenges them. In his stories, he effectively highlights the issue of femininity, pays attention to feminine identity, and demonstrates its new dimensions in the First Pahlavi era in Iran. Hejazi challenges the dominant traditional discourse and brings women into positions beyond the confines of the home and without being attributed to stereotypical qualities like "stove-bound" and "bitterness," which were frequently seen in the literature of that era. However, most evidence shows the movement of two discourses, traditional and modern, side by side and in concert with each other, rather than in conflict and confrontation. This means that renewed discourses, alongside traditional discourses, have initiated a movement, and we witness a kind of combined discourse. In summary, Hejazi demonstrates that we are faced not with a singular reality but with diverse realities; he presents a moderate intellectual discourse. Although one foot of it is still trapped in tradition and patriarchy and thinks within the framework of traditional mindsets, it undoubtedly takes firm and steady steps towards modernity with the other foot.
Extended Abstract
The social status and quality of life for women in any society can be considered as indicators and criteria for the cultural and civilizational characteristics of that society. Throughout history, in all societies, especially in patriarchal societies, the identities and social roles of women have been overlooked or considered insignificant. Despite unprecedented changes in creating structural opportunities for Iranian women, they are still predominantly portrayed within traditional gender roles, stereotypes, and assumptions. Gender stereotypes can be analyzed indirectly and metaphorically in common cultural artifacts such as proverbs, textbooks, films, magazines, and popular novels of each era. Among these, the genre of the novel has allocated the largest share in discourse analysis, and women and their attributed roles have always been prominent topics in social novels. In the pursuit of continuity, prominence, and perpetuation of the representation of Iranian women as oppressed and objectified, this study attempts to analyze and identify the representation of women's identities in three novels (trilogy) by Mohammad Hejazi, using a comprehensive sociological perspective and a critical discourse analysis approach. The fundamental research questions are: 1) How are women represented in Mohammad Hejazi's trilogy of novels? 2) What are the important sociological components documented for women, such as roles, identities, executive characteristics, etc., in these novels? 3) To what extent have the constructed attributes contributed to the reproduction or alteration of the status and identity of women in the society of that era? 4) Have the features and representations presented in the selected novels portrayed a "homogeneous" image of women or not?
To achieve this, in the descriptive phase, the themes, elements, and key concepts related to the subject of the study in the text are identified, and subjects, characters, traits, and roles of women and their presence are reconstructed. In the interpretive phase, we delve into the contextual and intertextual aspects of women's subjects and analyze the generated themes. In the explanatory phase, we focus on the social framework, discursive actions, and the relationship between the text and social structures. The use and application of previous research, as well as consultation with expert qualitative researchers for the correction and confirmation of extracted content have always been the researchers' concern. The unit of analysis is the sentence.
The first reading of Hejazi's stories indicates a diverse spectrum of women in mainly binary categorizations and confrontations. These attributes and categorizations, which are the subject of ideological disputes, foster a continuous discursive conflict within themselves. By placing women's subjects in their own spatiotemporal context, patterns can be extracted, which categorize women into traditional/modern, active/passive, educated/uneducated, weak and oppressed/strong. Hidden patriarchy, situational objectification-subjection, overall ambiguity, women in the struggle between tradition and modernity, and women at the crossroads of modernity and religion are among the main themes covering the representation of women in the selected texts.
According to Hejazi, as claimed by Fairclough, while identifying the assumptions of the prevailing ideology that the people of Iran interacted with women on that day and led to the plasticity of feminine identity, he criticizes and challenges them. In his stories, he effectively highlights the issue of femininity, pays attention to feminine identity, and demonstrates its new dimensions in the First Pahlavi era in Iran. Hejazi challenges the dominant traditional discourse and brings women into positions beyond the confines of the home and without being attributed to stereotypical qualities like "stove-bound" and "bitterness," which were frequently seen in the literature of that era. However, most evidence shows the movement of two discourses, traditional and modern, side by side and in concert with each other, rather than in conflict and confrontation. This means that renewed discourses, alongside traditional discourses, have initiated a movement, and we witness a kind of combined discourse. In summary, Hejazi demonstrates that we are faced not with a singular reality but with diverse realities; he presents a moderate intellectual discourse. Although one foot of it is still trapped in tradition and patriarchy and thinks within the framework of traditional mindsets, it undoubtedly takes firm and steady steps towards modernity with the other foot.
Majid Houshangi, Mahdiyeh Tahmasebi,
Volume 16, Issue 62 (10-2023)
Volume 16, Issue 62 (10-2023)
Abstract
The centrality of psychoanalytic criticism is the interaction between the field of art, especially literature, with psychoanalytic subjects, in this method, the subject of the text becomes a platform for recognizing the signs, roots and factors of psychosis in the three axes of the author, the text (structure and characters) and the audience; And in rare cases, it will become a method of overcoming crisis and a tool for psychotherapy. In this field, the category of anxiety and obsession is one of the important topics that have been discussed in psychology with different cognitive approaches, and it can be one of the practical topics in the text-oriented analysis of literary works. On the other hand, Golshiri's works have a high capacity for psychoanalytical analysis due to his knowledge of psychology and the conscious application of its techniques and important features in processing and strengthening personality. Therefore, this research has investigated the category of anxiety in the collection of stories " Namazkhaneye Kochake Man " with a descriptive-analytical method and has concluded that the root of anxiety in the characters of these stories is the fear of an accident. Unfortunate is in the future and the characters often turn to the basic response of avoiding the situation and basic defense mechanisms. Most of the characters are suffering from depression, anger and isolation in the face of anxiety, which will represent this crisis in various behavioral signs such as alcohol consumption, insomnia and restlessness, aggression and screaming. In general, anxiety and depression can be considered as the dominant aspect in this collection.
Extended abstract
Psychoanalytic criticism is the interaction between the field of art and literature, with psychoanalytic subjects. In this method, the subject of the text becomes a platform for recognizing the signs, roots and factors of psychosis in the three axes of the author, the text (structure and characters) and the audience; And in rare cases, it will become a method of overcoming crisis and a tool for psychotherapy. In this field, the category of anxiety and obsession is one of the important topics that have been discussed in psychology with different cognitive approaches, and it can be one of the practical topics in the text-oriented analysis of literary works. On one hand, Golshiri's works have a high capacity for psychoanalytical analysis due to his knowledge of psychology and the conscious application of its techniques and important features in processing and strengthening personality. Therefore, this research has investigated the category of anxiety in the collection of stories "Namazkhaneye Koochake Man" with a descriptive-analytical method and has concluded that the root of anxiety in the characters of these stories is the fear of an accident. On the other hand, psychologists associate anxiety with a general feeling of restlessness and worry and believe that anxiety is the thought or imagination of threats that we may face in the future. So, anxiety is an unpleasant emotion that we usually describe with words such as worry, tension and fear. Freud believes that the first experience of anxiety that every person faces in life is birth, (Freud, 2021: 166) because birth is the moment of separation of the child from the mother. But later he changed his opinion to the fact that anxiety is the result of the conflict between unconscious sexual desires or aggression and mutual threats from external commands or reality.
Psychologists also distinguish between fear and anxiety. The difference between fear and anxiety is that in fear, the cause of danger is external, but in anxiety, the person's own internal conditions are the cause of danger, and both are mental reactions to danger. So our immediate reaction in the situation of danger is known as fear, but anxiety does not occur only at the moment of danger. In presenting different types of anxiety one should consider Freud's theory. He mentions three types of anxiety: 1. Real anxiety, which is a kind of normal fear and its cause is threats caused by dangers in the real world. 2. Neurotic anxiety, which is a threat from the institution and is much more difficult to cope with, because the institution is completely unconscious. 3. Moral anxiety that comes from command threats. As a result of this analysis, according to the presented theoretical foundations and examining the relationships between internal and external factors with anxiety, it will lead to general results. In the first story of this collection, "Namāzkhane-ye Koochak-e Man", the presence of social and pervasive anxiety in the narrator's personality is prominent. The two main factors of the formation of these anxieties in him are heredity and living environment. The presence of anxiety in the narrator has caused him to find a recluse character and turn more to the irrational response of avoidance; which led to the continuation of his anxiety and rumination and focus on himself has drowned him more than before. By convincing himself and using the defense mechanism of argumentation, the narrator has considered the subject of his anxiety as a part of his being, and the same subject is pervasive anxiety disorder and constant worry about losing the appendage. The disorder has a negative effect on his interpersonal and emotional relationships and disrupts his life to a great extent.
In the story "Aksi Baraye Qāb-e Akse Khali-ye Man", anxiety has become the basis for changing the behavior of prisoners and, in general, the feeling of anger was caused by anxiety. In the story " Har do Ruye Sekkeh", the old man's perfectionism and loneliness will become the main cause of anxiety and, as a result, anger and aggression and finally depression was apparent. Akhtar's anxiety in the story "Gorg" is manifested in the form of phobia of animals, that is, wolves, which causes him to become isolated. The presence of two features of focusing on the anxiety-causing issue and irrational response to anxiety are more prominent in this story. In the story "Arusak-e Chini-ye Man", Maryam reconstructs herself in the form of a game and by using the defense mechanism of displacement, and she releases her negative experiences and emotions with the help of her doll. In this story, the two components of anger and depression caused by anxiety are more pronounced. In the story "Masum-e Avval", the fear of the presence of the scarecrow and environmental conditions are the main causes of anxiety in the city's residents and anxiety at the end of the story becomes a part of the narrator. In the story "Masum Dovvom", the cause of anxiety in Mustafa is guilt, and environmental factors cause anxiety in four of the characters. The defense mechanism of projection plays an important role in relieving anxiety in this narrative. In the story of " Masum-e Sevvom", the presence of personality disorders in the teacher, his passing from reality, and the use of the defensive mechanism of identification are the main factors and results of anxiety. The character of the narrator in the story "Masum-e Chaharom" is anxiety resulting from an external matter and fear of the proximity of opponents. Depression, as a common consequence of anxiety disorders, is seen in some way in all anxious personalities and even leads to suicide. Other frequent consequences of anxiety in personalities are sleep disturbance, self-blame, thinking and focusing on a stressful issue, and feeling angry and aggressive. The anxiety of people has a growing trend; To the extent that it often leads to the death of people. It can be concluded that from the author's point of view, anxiety causes a lot of personal helplessness and is paralyzing. Apart from the story of “Masum-e Sevvom”, where anxiety is caused by the presence of psychosis and personality disorder in the main character, in other stories, environmental factors play more effective roles in the appearance of anxiety in people.
Extended abstract
Psychoanalytic criticism is the interaction between the field of art and literature, with psychoanalytic subjects. In this method, the subject of the text becomes a platform for recognizing the signs, roots and factors of psychosis in the three axes of the author, the text (structure and characters) and the audience; And in rare cases, it will become a method of overcoming crisis and a tool for psychotherapy. In this field, the category of anxiety and obsession is one of the important topics that have been discussed in psychology with different cognitive approaches, and it can be one of the practical topics in the text-oriented analysis of literary works. On one hand, Golshiri's works have a high capacity for psychoanalytical analysis due to his knowledge of psychology and the conscious application of its techniques and important features in processing and strengthening personality. Therefore, this research has investigated the category of anxiety in the collection of stories "Namazkhaneye Koochake Man" with a descriptive-analytical method and has concluded that the root of anxiety in the characters of these stories is the fear of an accident. On the other hand, psychologists associate anxiety with a general feeling of restlessness and worry and believe that anxiety is the thought or imagination of threats that we may face in the future. So, anxiety is an unpleasant emotion that we usually describe with words such as worry, tension and fear. Freud believes that the first experience of anxiety that every person faces in life is birth, (Freud, 2021: 166) because birth is the moment of separation of the child from the mother. But later he changed his opinion to the fact that anxiety is the result of the conflict between unconscious sexual desires or aggression and mutual threats from external commands or reality.
Psychologists also distinguish between fear and anxiety. The difference between fear and anxiety is that in fear, the cause of danger is external, but in anxiety, the person's own internal conditions are the cause of danger, and both are mental reactions to danger. So our immediate reaction in the situation of danger is known as fear, but anxiety does not occur only at the moment of danger. In presenting different types of anxiety one should consider Freud's theory. He mentions three types of anxiety: 1. Real anxiety, which is a kind of normal fear and its cause is threats caused by dangers in the real world. 2. Neurotic anxiety, which is a threat from the institution and is much more difficult to cope with, because the institution is completely unconscious. 3. Moral anxiety that comes from command threats. As a result of this analysis, according to the presented theoretical foundations and examining the relationships between internal and external factors with anxiety, it will lead to general results. In the first story of this collection, "Namāzkhane-ye Koochak-e Man", the presence of social and pervasive anxiety in the narrator's personality is prominent. The two main factors of the formation of these anxieties in him are heredity and living environment. The presence of anxiety in the narrator has caused him to find a recluse character and turn more to the irrational response of avoidance; which led to the continuation of his anxiety and rumination and focus on himself has drowned him more than before. By convincing himself and using the defense mechanism of argumentation, the narrator has considered the subject of his anxiety as a part of his being, and the same subject is pervasive anxiety disorder and constant worry about losing the appendage. The disorder has a negative effect on his interpersonal and emotional relationships and disrupts his life to a great extent.
In the story "Aksi Baraye Qāb-e Akse Khali-ye Man", anxiety has become the basis for changing the behavior of prisoners and, in general, the feeling of anger was caused by anxiety. In the story " Har do Ruye Sekkeh", the old man's perfectionism and loneliness will become the main cause of anxiety and, as a result, anger and aggression and finally depression was apparent. Akhtar's anxiety in the story "Gorg" is manifested in the form of phobia of animals, that is, wolves, which causes him to become isolated. The presence of two features of focusing on the anxiety-causing issue and irrational response to anxiety are more prominent in this story. In the story "Arusak-e Chini-ye Man", Maryam reconstructs herself in the form of a game and by using the defense mechanism of displacement, and she releases her negative experiences and emotions with the help of her doll. In this story, the two components of anger and depression caused by anxiety are more pronounced. In the story "Masum-e Avval", the fear of the presence of the scarecrow and environmental conditions are the main causes of anxiety in the city's residents and anxiety at the end of the story becomes a part of the narrator. In the story "Masum Dovvom", the cause of anxiety in Mustafa is guilt, and environmental factors cause anxiety in four of the characters. The defense mechanism of projection plays an important role in relieving anxiety in this narrative. In the story of " Masum-e Sevvom", the presence of personality disorders in the teacher, his passing from reality, and the use of the defensive mechanism of identification are the main factors and results of anxiety. The character of the narrator in the story "Masum-e Chaharom" is anxiety resulting from an external matter and fear of the proximity of opponents. Depression, as a common consequence of anxiety disorders, is seen in some way in all anxious personalities and even leads to suicide. Other frequent consequences of anxiety in personalities are sleep disturbance, self-blame, thinking and focusing on a stressful issue, and feeling angry and aggressive. The anxiety of people has a growing trend; To the extent that it often leads to the death of people. It can be concluded that from the author's point of view, anxiety causes a lot of personal helplessness and is paralyzing. Apart from the story of “Masum-e Sevvom”, where anxiety is caused by the presence of psychosis and personality disorder in the main character, in other stories, environmental factors play more effective roles in the appearance of anxiety in people.
Hadi Dehghani Yazdeli,
Volume 16, Issue 62 (10-2023)
Volume 16, Issue 62 (10-2023)
Abstract
Myths and rituals are fundamental elements of human life and culture, reflecting people's desires and fears. The confrontation with death and the consciousness of death is one of the most fundamental themes of mythology and its rituals. Contemporary narratives are one of the most prominent formats that can be used as vehicles for mythological and ritual themes, including death consciousness. This article is based on the mythological approach, using a descriptive-interpretive method and aiming to reveal the inner effect of confronting death and reaching the consciousness of death formed by the ritual of initiation, in order to examine the structure and depth of the story "Fal -e Khoon" by Dawood Ghaffarzadegan. the story "Fal -e Khoon", which highlights the theme of death consciousness, is obviously based on the structure of initiation; Expulsion, mystery learning and mystery education. The main character of the story, a budding soldier, is confronted with various phenomena and events on his mission to achieve his goal. These events form the basis for the rookie to pass his most difficult and final test. The most difficult test of the main character in the story is to become aware of death and to accept death as part of one's existence. This theme, which was one of the first and constant concerns of mankind, is juxtaposed in the story with mythological elements such as mountains, trees, numbers, cows, names and huts, so that it gives a mythical tinge to a modern story and conveys an ancient ritual. In this way, modern art, literature, and ideas cannot only be separated from ancient mythological and ritual strains; ; Rather, these strains, by blending with human's constant reflections, such as death, provide the context for the richness and brilliance of today's narratives.
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
A person, in their living world, does not take their actions and thoughts from the same source. A person's existence is multifaceted and these multiple strains provide different formats for his mentality, thought and behavior. One of the most important components that shape human thought and action are myths and then mythological rituals. The rituals, in the first stage, are the manifestation of the influence of the myth in the life and social world of the human personality; when the rituals have mythological themes, they, like myths, influence the formation of human mentality and actions. Hence, the myth and rituals arising from it have the same functions. Myths and mythological rituals express people's wishes, fears and desires (Guerin et al., 2005, p. 183). In a world where the sense of existential loneliness does not leave a person, myths and rituals are a tool for understanding one’s situation in the world, reducing their fears and sufferings as well as fulfilling their wishes, though in a symbolic form. Narratives are one of the most prominent human creations, and the myths and rituals arising from them, play a distinct role in shaping its structure and texture (Bressler, 2012, p. 132).
2. Methodology
The present article deals with the role and function of the myth and the ritual of initiation in revealing the theme of death in the short story "Fal -e Khoon" by Davud Ghafarzadegan. In an artistic and distinctive way, " Fal -e Khoon " has used the themes and the structure of the mythological ritual of initiation in its narrative to depict the phenomenon of death. For this reason, it is necessary to examine this story from the mentioned point of view. This article aims to reveal the role and function of the structure of the ritual of initiation and its mythological elements in shaping the narrative of " Fal -e Khoon" and its main theme; That is, facing death and death-awareness, to answer the following questions with a descriptive-interpretive method: Which of the mythological elements create the texture and structure of the narrative of "Fal -e Khoon"? How does the ritual of initiation advance the events of the story? How do the mythological elements and the ritual of initiation create the basic theme of this story, i.e., facing death and death awareness?
The source of life, birth, survival (Guerin et al., 2005, pp. 200-201) and the death and destiny of a person (Campbell, 2010, p. 168) are among the topics that a person always faces in the world of his thoughts and reflections; and to reach their understanding, he has benefited from the myths and rituals. "Rituals, emotions and myths mutually affect each other" (Whitehead, 2017, p. 29); Therefore, mythological rituals and customs are the objective and external continuity of those mythical beliefs and mentalities that are useful for the consistency and continuity of social order. The ritual of initiation is one of the rituals that has its roots in the world of mythology. In this ritual, the immature teenager is prepared to leave the world of immaturity and step on the path of maturity. Maturity of the teenager provides him with independence that starts from geographical mobility; It means that the teenager starts moving away from home (Richards, 2011, p. 136).
The ritual of initiation is based on three stages of separation (repulsion), transformation (mystery learning) and return (mystery education) (Guerin et al., 2005, p. 190). In this ritual, the immature teenager becomes aware of the mysteries of existence. Death, the understanding of man's mortality and encountering with death are among the fundamental elements of the mythological themes that the teenager, as a novice, should be informed about within the initiation ritual (Eliadeh, 2011, p. 195).
3. Discussion
The narration of "Fal -e Khoon" is the longest story in the book "21 Stories" by Dawood Ghafarzadegan. This story is divided into six chapters. Each chapter contains events whose basic actions and functions are created and discussed by the three main characters, soldier, lieutenant, and lieutenant assistant. The function of the characters ultimately goes in such a direction that they prepare and preface the final and fundamental action of the soldier.
The story of "Fal -e Khoon" is obviously about the different aspects of a person's encounter with death; It relies on ignorance, fear of death and death awareness. The theme of death and its related components are the most basic intermediate and organizing link in the episodes of the "Fal -e Khoon" narration; As an example, on pages 284 and 307 of the story, apart from the propositions related to death, the narrator mentions the word "death" four and three times, respectively. Each of the characters of the story reveal different actions related to these strains. The character who the story is formed around his external and internal actions is a soldier who must come to the understanding of death and face it consciously through the stages of discovery and secret learning, and finally face it freely and without any fears. In facing death and accepting it in his existence, he must go through the stages before and after his secret learning - just like the worlds he lived in - so that he can become aware of death and learn the secret.
4. Result
The author of "Fal -e Khoon" has been able to use the theme of facing death and death-awareness through the use of the structure of the ritual of initiation. The main character of the story, who takes action in the form of a novice soldier reaches maturity through the stages of being driven, secret learning and secret-educated. The maturity of the soldier is his being secret-educated in the conscious face of death. In tests and difficult events, he accepts death as a part of his existence, and thus he is freed from the fear of death and extinction. The story of "Fal -e Khoon" uses the theme of death-awareness in the structure of the initiation ritual and in association with mythological elements; Like a tree, a mountain, a name, a cow, and a hut, and with its artistic structure and its fusion with mythological elements, conveys the theme of death awareness to the audience of his narrative in today's horizon and context. Based on this, it seems that a person, in the horizon of modern literature and art, will never be empty and useless of ancient and mythological themes and rituals.
5. References
Bressler, Charles E. (2012). Literary criticism: An introduction to theory and practice. (5th Edition). Pearson: New York.
Campbell, Joseph (2010). Ghodrat-e Osture. Translated by Abbas Mokhber. 6th edition. Tehran: Markaz Publication. [in Persian]
Eliade Mircha (2002). Osture, Ro’yā, Rāz. Translated by Roya Monajem. Tehran: Alam Publication. [in Persian]
Ghafarzadegan, Dawood. (2005). "Fāl-e Khun". Dar Bist-o Yek Dāstān. Tehran: Rozaneh, pp. 267-352. [in Persian]
Guerin Wilfred L. et al. (2005). A Hand Book of Critical Approaches to Literature. (5th Edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
Richards, Barry. (2011). Ravānkāvi-ye Farhang-e Āme; Nazm va Tartib-e Neshāt. Translated by Hossein Payandeh. 2nd Ed. Tehran: Sāles Publication. [in Persian]
Whitehead, Alfred North. (2015). Tahavol-e Din. Translated by Amir Rezaei. Tehran: Āshiān Publication. [in Persian]
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
A person, in their living world, does not take their actions and thoughts from the same source. A person's existence is multifaceted and these multiple strains provide different formats for his mentality, thought and behavior. One of the most important components that shape human thought and action are myths and then mythological rituals. The rituals, in the first stage, are the manifestation of the influence of the myth in the life and social world of the human personality; when the rituals have mythological themes, they, like myths, influence the formation of human mentality and actions. Hence, the myth and rituals arising from it have the same functions. Myths and mythological rituals express people's wishes, fears and desires (Guerin et al., 2005, p. 183). In a world where the sense of existential loneliness does not leave a person, myths and rituals are a tool for understanding one’s situation in the world, reducing their fears and sufferings as well as fulfilling their wishes, though in a symbolic form. Narratives are one of the most prominent human creations, and the myths and rituals arising from them, play a distinct role in shaping its structure and texture (Bressler, 2012, p. 132).
2. Methodology
The present article deals with the role and function of the myth and the ritual of initiation in revealing the theme of death in the short story "Fal -e Khoon" by Davud Ghafarzadegan. In an artistic and distinctive way, " Fal -e Khoon " has used the themes and the structure of the mythological ritual of initiation in its narrative to depict the phenomenon of death. For this reason, it is necessary to examine this story from the mentioned point of view. This article aims to reveal the role and function of the structure of the ritual of initiation and its mythological elements in shaping the narrative of " Fal -e Khoon" and its main theme; That is, facing death and death-awareness, to answer the following questions with a descriptive-interpretive method: Which of the mythological elements create the texture and structure of the narrative of "Fal -e Khoon"? How does the ritual of initiation advance the events of the story? How do the mythological elements and the ritual of initiation create the basic theme of this story, i.e., facing death and death awareness?
The source of life, birth, survival (Guerin et al., 2005, pp. 200-201) and the death and destiny of a person (Campbell, 2010, p. 168) are among the topics that a person always faces in the world of his thoughts and reflections; and to reach their understanding, he has benefited from the myths and rituals. "Rituals, emotions and myths mutually affect each other" (Whitehead, 2017, p. 29); Therefore, mythological rituals and customs are the objective and external continuity of those mythical beliefs and mentalities that are useful for the consistency and continuity of social order. The ritual of initiation is one of the rituals that has its roots in the world of mythology. In this ritual, the immature teenager is prepared to leave the world of immaturity and step on the path of maturity. Maturity of the teenager provides him with independence that starts from geographical mobility; It means that the teenager starts moving away from home (Richards, 2011, p. 136).
The ritual of initiation is based on three stages of separation (repulsion), transformation (mystery learning) and return (mystery education) (Guerin et al., 2005, p. 190). In this ritual, the immature teenager becomes aware of the mysteries of existence. Death, the understanding of man's mortality and encountering with death are among the fundamental elements of the mythological themes that the teenager, as a novice, should be informed about within the initiation ritual (Eliadeh, 2011, p. 195).
3. Discussion
The narration of "Fal -e Khoon" is the longest story in the book "21 Stories" by Dawood Ghafarzadegan. This story is divided into six chapters. Each chapter contains events whose basic actions and functions are created and discussed by the three main characters, soldier, lieutenant, and lieutenant assistant. The function of the characters ultimately goes in such a direction that they prepare and preface the final and fundamental action of the soldier.
The story of "Fal -e Khoon" is obviously about the different aspects of a person's encounter with death; It relies on ignorance, fear of death and death awareness. The theme of death and its related components are the most basic intermediate and organizing link in the episodes of the "Fal -e Khoon" narration; As an example, on pages 284 and 307 of the story, apart from the propositions related to death, the narrator mentions the word "death" four and three times, respectively. Each of the characters of the story reveal different actions related to these strains. The character who the story is formed around his external and internal actions is a soldier who must come to the understanding of death and face it consciously through the stages of discovery and secret learning, and finally face it freely and without any fears. In facing death and accepting it in his existence, he must go through the stages before and after his secret learning - just like the worlds he lived in - so that he can become aware of death and learn the secret.
4. Result
The author of "Fal -e Khoon" has been able to use the theme of facing death and death-awareness through the use of the structure of the ritual of initiation. The main character of the story, who takes action in the form of a novice soldier reaches maturity through the stages of being driven, secret learning and secret-educated. The maturity of the soldier is his being secret-educated in the conscious face of death. In tests and difficult events, he accepts death as a part of his existence, and thus he is freed from the fear of death and extinction. The story of "Fal -e Khoon" uses the theme of death-awareness in the structure of the initiation ritual and in association with mythological elements; Like a tree, a mountain, a name, a cow, and a hut, and with its artistic structure and its fusion with mythological elements, conveys the theme of death awareness to the audience of his narrative in today's horizon and context. Based on this, it seems that a person, in the horizon of modern literature and art, will never be empty and useless of ancient and mythological themes and rituals.
5. References
Bressler, Charles E. (2012). Literary criticism: An introduction to theory and practice. (5th Edition). Pearson: New York.
Campbell, Joseph (2010). Ghodrat-e Osture. Translated by Abbas Mokhber. 6th edition. Tehran: Markaz Publication. [in Persian]
Eliade Mircha (2002). Osture, Ro’yā, Rāz. Translated by Roya Monajem. Tehran: Alam Publication. [in Persian]
Ghafarzadegan, Dawood. (2005). "Fāl-e Khun". Dar Bist-o Yek Dāstān. Tehran: Rozaneh, pp. 267-352. [in Persian]
Guerin Wilfred L. et al. (2005). A Hand Book of Critical Approaches to Literature. (5th Edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
Richards, Barry. (2011). Ravānkāvi-ye Farhang-e Āme; Nazm va Tartib-e Neshāt. Translated by Hossein Payandeh. 2nd Ed. Tehran: Sāles Publication. [in Persian]
Whitehead, Alfred North. (2015). Tahavol-e Din. Translated by Amir Rezaei. Tehran: Āshiān Publication. [in Persian]
Narges Raoufzadeh, Razieh Eslamieh, Morteza Lak,
Volume 16, Issue 64 (12-2023)
Volume 16, Issue 64 (12-2023)
Abstract
In recent decades, due to the crises created in nature by humans, the review of the relationship between humans and nature has gained special importance. The existing gap between environmental damage and its reverberations has resulted in people’s lack of attention to the consequences of environmental destruction. By applying ecocriticism and relying on concepts such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, deep ecology and shallow ecology, the present study, for the first time, compares the two novels, Ahle Ghargh (1989), by Moniro Ravanipour and Animal Dreaams (1990) by Barbara Kingsolver. While introducing deep ecology as postmodern environmental ethics, the research completely rejects the domination of anthropocentric ideology and considers self- realization and identification with nature to be the only way out of environmental crises. Ravanipour and Kingsolver suffer from eco-trauma caused by environmental destruction and they try to take an effective step in improving deficiencies in nature. Eco-trauma inspires both novelists to deal with the damage that humans, knowingly or unknowingly, cause to nature. The study aims to demonstrate the dominance of anthropocentric ideology, which brings a self-seeking and self-interested attitude, strongly causing the destruction of nature. By relying on biocentrism, deep ecology has no concern other than preserving the environment and its resources while it avoids damage to the environment with the aim of gaining profit.
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Industrialization and urbanization have led to the separation of man from nature and made a false impression related to the superiority of human beings. Based on such a paradigm, what follows, is solving environmental problems only for the benefit of human beings, according to the needs of their time. Such a limited view suggests that the environmental movement has generally operated on a case-by-case basis. As long as various issues are not considered as distinct predicaments, environmentalists will never be able to fully protect ecosystems from the destructive abuses of human development. By examining Moniro Ravanipour’s Ahle Ghargh (1989), and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams (1990), considering how anthropocentrism has caused irreparable damage to the environment and ecosystem, the study considers the reconnection of man with nature by changing the pattern in his relationships as a solution. Ravanipour (1952- ), and Kingsolver (1955- ), have skillfully depicted the effects of environmental destruction on human life in their works.
The study indicates that there is a meaningful intimacy between nature and reasonable behavior towards the environment. Therefore, physical contact with nature is the necessary factor of procuring a sense of connection with it. Ahle Ghargh and Animal Dreams are in harmony with the specific geographical region of their authors’ hometowns and illustrate the deep connection of the authors with where they were raised. The research is a reflection of anthropocentrism in different climates that has achieved valuable results from the comparison of the two studied novels. Ravanipour and Kingsolver consider current environmental concerns as a major threat to human well-being. The present study is an argument of the consequences of anthropocentrism and a utilitarian attitude towards nature. Contemplating concepts such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, deep ecology and shallow ecology, the researchers consider industrialization and the urban lifestyle to be the cause of the physical separation of man from nature and the deepening of this alienation. The article aims to investigate anthropocentrism and its reflection in the works of Ravanipour and Kingsolver in a comparative manner to clarify environmental worldviews through the application of biocentrism and deep ecology.
The study tries to reconcile intellectual similarities and styles of Iranian and American female novelists. Although the presence of British colonialism in Ravanipour’s Ahle Ghargh is differentiated from Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams, the dominant theme in both novels is the rupture between man and nature and the mental and psychological problems which result from such separation. By choosing two female novelists from two different regions, Eastern and Western, while emphasizing the deep connection between women and nature, the article aims to portray their similar concerns about environmental issues resulting from its destruction. The present research introduces deep ecology as a solution for controlling and ending crises. The comparative analysis proves that the two novels Ahle Ghargh and Animal Dreams are a reflection of criticism on modernity and shallow ecology which has led nature into regression. In both novels, nature is the main background of the story and is the driving force behind the events which has an inevitable effect on the characters of the story. Ravanipour and Kingsolver believe that the world is on the edge of an ecological abyss, and the reason is anthropocentric thought which considers man to be the center and ruler of the universe, with regard to his materialistic and profit-seeking disposition.
The article is an example of the link between literature and environment which examines the similarities of Ahle Ghargh and Animal Dreams, for the first time, carrying out a comparative study of these two literary texts. In “What is Comparative Literature?” (2012) Alireza Anushirvani (1954- ), claims that comparative literature is an important field of literature and a branch of literary criticism that while regarding the interaction between the literature of various peoples, studies and analyzes their similarities and differences (37). This study aims to present a new reading of Ravanipour’s Ahle Ghargh and Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams by compiling the ideas of Arne Naess (1912-2009), Greg Garrard (1969), and using concepts such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, deep ecology and shallow ecology. By analyzing two selected works, researchers noted the impact of biocentrism and deep ecology in restoring the discrete relationship between man and nature. Finally, in the concluding part, the findings of the study are summarized.
2. Methodology and Approach
What has been on the human mind for a long time is the importance of preserving nature, plant and animal species, which have a very fundamental and inevitable role in maintaining the health of the human soul and psyche. In recent decades, due to the crises created by man in nature, the review of the connection between human and nature has become of significant importance. Meantime, literature has had a distinctive status and an excessive contribution in this field. Today, many intellectuals and critics seek to study the confrontation between human and nature. For this reason, a new field of study has emerged from the link between the humanities, that is literature and the natural sciences which is ecology. The combination of these two disciplines has led to the emergence of a new science called ecocriticism in the field of literary criticism, which aims to find the connection between human and nature. Ecocriticism was formed in the second half of the twentieth century. The term was first coined in 1978 by William H. Rueckert (b.1926), the American literature educator and writer. Taking into account environmental concerns, it tried to get help from the literature to preserve and improve the environment. Through an environmental approach to literary works, it attempts to create a new attitude to nature that leads to the improvement of human relationship with it.
Ecocriticism is a recently developed critical approach which links the humanities, natural sciences, and environmental sciences. One of the notable recognized pioneers of ecocriticism is Cheryll Glotfelty (b.1958), the American professor of literature and environment at the University of Nevada, Reno. In The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology (1996), Glotfelty and Fromm define ecocriticism as ‘simply put, ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment” (xviii). They describe the environmental crisis and the various dimensions of the humanities, including anthropology. Glotfelty and Fromm study the aspects of ecology and predict the future of this branch of literary criticism due to the expansion of modern science. They believe that the main focus of discussion in ecocriticism is the correlation between literature and physical environment (Glotfelty & Fromm, 1996: 3). Greg Garrard in his outstanding book Ecocriticism (2004), examines the concepts of ecocriticism, such as dwelling, wilderness, pollution, animals, and the earth. He believed that “wilderness has an almost sacramental value: it holds out the promise of a renewed, authentic relation of humanity and the earth, a post-Christian covenant, found in a space of purity, founded in an attitude of reverence and humanity” (Garrard, 2004: 59). Ecocriticism aims to create an interactive approach between the language of nature and the literary language that it creates through environmental literary discourse.
3.Conclusion
Since decades ago, humans have had a special consideration for the environment. The reason for such attention was the concern about the protection of nature against industrial development, urbanization, pollution, and significant climate changes. Industrialization and urbanization have caused the separation of human from nature and presented a false representation related to the superiority of human beings. In Ahle Gharg (1989), and Animal Dreams (1990), Moniro Ravanipour (1952- ), and Barbara Kingsolver (1955- ), reflect their environmental sorrow, try to take an effective step in improving the nature by changing the attitude of man in the environment. Both artists consider the alienation of human populations from nature as a product of industrial modernization and the rise of urbanization. This detachment is the result of a world view that regards human and nature as fundamentally in isolation while reflecting on the value of nature only as a means of fulfilling human needs. Generally speaking, the urban lifestyle has created a marked schism between man and nature. Physical intimacy with nature is necessary in order to create a sense of connection.
Relying on an ecological narrative, Moniro Ravanipour and Barbara Kingsolver have managed to reveal the vulnerability of the environment and its impact on people’s lives since neither author has ever been a neutral observer in advocating the environment. In their works, Ravanipour and Kingsolver have taken effective steps to reveal the damage caused by anthropocentrism. By relying on what literature has given them, both novelists have skillfully dealt with problems and solutions. The environmental damage that humans purposefully or inadvertently cause to nature will return over time, although due to the deep gap between the damage and its consequences, effects may last for decades, or even centuries. Ravanipour and Kingsolver have clearly reflected this truth in their works by portraying the environmental despair which the protagonists of the novels face and the efforts they make to save nature. Both contemporary authors point out the seriousness of environmental issues while ruminating over the deep connection between human, nature, and the recognition of its damage, eventuating in environmental trauma. The misery following in the wake of environmental destruction drives the main characters of both novels towards experiencing trauma. Both novelists try to amplify people’s awareness of the environment.
Nature plays an essential role in healing the complications of the soul and psyche so that they can reduce their suffering by taking refuge in it. In fact, the manifestation and excellence found in nature reduces stress and anxiety. Researchers believe that a comprehensive and non-hierarchical perception of all life forms should replace the hegemonic conceptual framework in which nature is merely a means for humans to take advantage of. In fact, the widespread belief is that humans are intrinsically more valuable than other creatures and nature should be replaced by empathy with nature. Ravanipour and Kingsolver deal with current environmental concerns since they believe they are real threats to man’s well-being.
Behzad Pourgharib,
Volume 16, Issue 64 (12-2023)
Volume 16, Issue 64 (12-2023)
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende stands as a cornerstone of Chilean literature, encapsulating the tumultuous history of the nation through the symbolic narrative of the Trueba family. At the heart of this narrative lies the pervasive fear gripping characters scarred by profound experiences, their souls deeply affected. These experiences, classified as trauma within psychological sciences, serve as a focal point in the exploration of psychotherapy's role within literary works, particularly novels.
Drawing upon Judith Herman's theory of narrative therapy, trauma emerges as a complex psychological phenomenon requiring a nuanced approach to healing. Herman posits that recovery from trauma involves a three-step process, with acceptance of reality being paramount. According to Herman, trauma survivors navigate a delicate balance of denying, remembering, and confronting their experiences, a dialectic essential for healing. This paper aims to scrutinize the presence of this dialectic and narrative therapy within The House of the Spirits, examining the traumas faced by its characters and their subsequent paths to resolution. It seeks to highlight the novel's capacity to portray trauma within the literary form and elucidate its role in facilitating healing and understanding.
Findings and Conclusion
The findings of this study reveal that the central characters of Esteban's narrative—his wife Clara and their grandson Alba—represent three generations within the same familial lineage. Esteban's profound trauma, stemming from the sudden demise of Rosa, whom he intended to marry, is a pivotal focus. Through a cathartic confrontation with Rosa's remains and subsequent disclosure of his ordeal, Esteban achieves liberation from his trauma, facilitating his return to a semblance of normalcy.
Clara, who has long harbored her pain in silence, finds solace through the act of writing. According to Herman's model, this process of verbalizing and chronicling her anguish aligns with the stages of post-traumatic peace, where remembrance and mourning pave the path back to equilibrium. Similarly, Alba's harrowing ordeal in prison, intertwined with echoes of his grandfather's past actions, finds resolution through immersion in familial memories. By engaging with the recollections of his grandparents and contributing to the narrative of his family's history, Alba reintegrates into society, in harmony with the principles of memory therapy.
The narrative demonstrates each character's journey toward healing and resolution, encapsulating Herman's assertion that trauma treatment is an ongoing process. While the story concludes at a juncture of apparent resolution, it acknowledges the potential for the reemergence of unresolved issues, as cautioned by Herman. Ultimately, The House of the Spirits encompasses the three stages of trauma treatment outlined by Judith Herman, providing a poignant depiction of resilience and redemption within the narrative framework.
Tohid Teymouri,
Volume 17, Issue 65 (4-2024)
Volume 17, Issue 65 (4-2024)
Abstract
Shahriar Mandanipour is one of the contemporary writers who was experimental in structure and form. For this reason, the reader is challenged with spaces in his stories that are essentially an arrangement of mixed and various spaces. Dealing with this type of space in a theoretical and sometimes practical way can be observed in Michel Foucault's approach, which he calls it heterotopian or other spaces. In this regard, this study first describes these types of spaces through writings of Foucault and other thinkers who have explored in this field. Then, it analyzes these spaces in the fiction of Mandanipour including Mummy and Honey, Midday Moon, Violet Orient, and Ultramarine Blue. This study concludes that Mandanipour, by bringing up such spaces in his stories, points to the hidden truth behind the homogenous structure of one space. Moreover, introducing a new way and knowledge beyond the limitations in homogeneous spaces, heterotopian spaces help the characters from the limitations not only in understanding themselves but also the world.
Extended Abstract
The different narrative language of Shahriar Mandanipour is perhaps the most characteristic of his story writing that calls attention to the first reading. This feature is due to his interest in structure and form, which is often expected from modern storytellers because they attempt to free themselves from established structures so as to mix a new structure with the old one for their new experiences. Assuming that their type of vision cannot be offered in traditional structures, he has developed a language in storytelling that distinguishes him from any other writer and creates a unique story space in the range of this language, as the author himself points out: “Language is the purpose of writing. Therefore, it is not a means for writing stories, and the author must be able to create a range of different languages” (conversation with Shahriar Mandanipour, 2012). This convergence of different languages makes his prose complicated and sometimes unrealistic, but at the same time, it allows the author to bring almost disparate worlds together. For this reason, in his stories, the border between reality and fantasy merges, and the reader's entry into the story is like entering a labyrinth of uncertain boundaries, and this is the result of the author's experimentalism in writing stories. Now, as Mir Abedini (1998, p. 74) emphasizes: “From his very first stories, he showed that he has a thought and tries to find a suitable structure and tone for this thought, and through experiencing the form, he reaches a new understanding of reality”. The world that Shahryar Mandanipour creates in his fictional works is sometimes derived from dreams and is hyper-realistic and sometimes from myth, folklore and Iranian culture, which is special in its way and plays a significant role in the development of Iranian fiction literature. The mixing of apparently dissimilar worlds can be considered one of the most basic narrative features of this storyteller. This study attempts to shed light on space and place in the stories of Mandanipur. In so doing, this study relies on the methodology of geocriticim or spatial studies. Then, heterotopias or other spaces are described, which are influenced by Michel Foucault, in order to explain and discuss the appearance of such spaces in Mandanipour's stories. Michel Foucault's heterotopian spaces have had an important impact on space-place studies. Introducing heterotopia versus utopia as a space that challenges the knowledge of homogeneous spaces. Placing these spaces together and revealing their internal contradictions can be considered a critical reading. This is Foucault's approach in continuation of his discussion about the opposition of power and resistance, which according to him, in every discourse of power, a conflicting and challenging discourse is formed, even though it is on the sidelines. Shahriar Mandanipour, a contemporary Iranian writer makes literary use of these spaces in his stories, which is a result of his new approach to modern and experimental writing. Desert, prison, library, book and literary space, cemetery, cinema, theater, cafe, hotel, park, table, and so forth are examples of heterotopian spaces in his stores. In these spaces, the characters of his stories seek to overcome life's crises, which are often tied to death, love, tradition, politics and power. These spaces help them to challenge the homogenous spaces because they already have limited their understanding of self and the world. These heterotopian spaces in his stories are sometimes of a critical and sacred type; sometimes of the type of spaces that are for those who do not follow the rules of society and are deviant in a way; sometimes the functions of these spaces undergo changes in the form of context and time; sometimes they challenge time; sometimes it is an illusion and to cover the lack of homogenous spaces; and sometimes it is of the type of space of literature, all of which have significant impact on the lives and thoughts of the characters in the stories. The use of these spaces in the writings reviewed in this article is in line with Mandanipour's desire to create a new style in writing, and somehow these spaces help Mandanipour to have a special and different style. Mandanipour's other writings, such as The Courage of Love (1998), Censoring an Iranian Love Story (2009), Moon Brow (2018), and Seasons of Purgatory (2022) also contain heterotopian spaces that can be the subject of further studies.
Extended Abstract
The different narrative language of Shahriar Mandanipour is perhaps the most characteristic of his story writing that calls attention to the first reading. This feature is due to his interest in structure and form, which is often expected from modern storytellers because they attempt to free themselves from established structures so as to mix a new structure with the old one for their new experiences. Assuming that their type of vision cannot be offered in traditional structures, he has developed a language in storytelling that distinguishes him from any other writer and creates a unique story space in the range of this language, as the author himself points out: “Language is the purpose of writing. Therefore, it is not a means for writing stories, and the author must be able to create a range of different languages” (conversation with Shahriar Mandanipour, 2012). This convergence of different languages makes his prose complicated and sometimes unrealistic, but at the same time, it allows the author to bring almost disparate worlds together. For this reason, in his stories, the border between reality and fantasy merges, and the reader's entry into the story is like entering a labyrinth of uncertain boundaries, and this is the result of the author's experimentalism in writing stories. Now, as Mir Abedini (1998, p. 74) emphasizes: “From his very first stories, he showed that he has a thought and tries to find a suitable structure and tone for this thought, and through experiencing the form, he reaches a new understanding of reality”. The world that Shahryar Mandanipour creates in his fictional works is sometimes derived from dreams and is hyper-realistic and sometimes from myth, folklore and Iranian culture, which is special in its way and plays a significant role in the development of Iranian fiction literature. The mixing of apparently dissimilar worlds can be considered one of the most basic narrative features of this storyteller. This study attempts to shed light on space and place in the stories of Mandanipur. In so doing, this study relies on the methodology of geocriticim or spatial studies. Then, heterotopias or other spaces are described, which are influenced by Michel Foucault, in order to explain and discuss the appearance of such spaces in Mandanipour's stories. Michel Foucault's heterotopian spaces have had an important impact on space-place studies. Introducing heterotopia versus utopia as a space that challenges the knowledge of homogeneous spaces. Placing these spaces together and revealing their internal contradictions can be considered a critical reading. This is Foucault's approach in continuation of his discussion about the opposition of power and resistance, which according to him, in every discourse of power, a conflicting and challenging discourse is formed, even though it is on the sidelines. Shahriar Mandanipour, a contemporary Iranian writer makes literary use of these spaces in his stories, which is a result of his new approach to modern and experimental writing. Desert, prison, library, book and literary space, cemetery, cinema, theater, cafe, hotel, park, table, and so forth are examples of heterotopian spaces in his stores. In these spaces, the characters of his stories seek to overcome life's crises, which are often tied to death, love, tradition, politics and power. These spaces help them to challenge the homogenous spaces because they already have limited their understanding of self and the world. These heterotopian spaces in his stories are sometimes of a critical and sacred type; sometimes of the type of spaces that are for those who do not follow the rules of society and are deviant in a way; sometimes the functions of these spaces undergo changes in the form of context and time; sometimes they challenge time; sometimes it is an illusion and to cover the lack of homogenous spaces; and sometimes it is of the type of space of literature, all of which have significant impact on the lives and thoughts of the characters in the stories. The use of these spaces in the writings reviewed in this article is in line with Mandanipour's desire to create a new style in writing, and somehow these spaces help Mandanipour to have a special and different style. Mandanipour's other writings, such as The Courage of Love (1998), Censoring an Iranian Love Story (2009), Moon Brow (2018), and Seasons of Purgatory (2022) also contain heterotopian spaces that can be the subject of further studies.
Omid Tabibzadeh Ghamsari,
Volume 17, Issue 66 (8-2024)
Volume 17, Issue 66 (8-2024)
Abstract
Malakout is a postmodern novel, and what is important in the analysis of a postmodern novel is related mostly to the description of certain literary techniques, which are used to emphasize the futility of the old meanings. These works have characteristics that without paying attention to them, one cannot expect a logical evaluation of the work. Some of these postmodern features and techniques which are very important in this novel and will be discussed here are as follows: meta-fiction, intertextuality, fragmentation, black humor, pastiche, temporal distortion, minimalism, and finally grotesque.
Extended Abstract
Bahram Sadeghi first published his short novel Malkout in a journal in 1340/ 1961 (Sadeghi, 1961). He made some additions and corrections in it shortly after that publication, but he himself did not take any action to republish the work. About 10 years later, Abolhasan Najafi, Sadeghi’s friend and master, edited this novel and some other short stories by Sadeghi and published them all in the form of a collection of Bahram Sadeghi's works. Since then, this novel and other short stories have been published several times by various publishers.
The first chapter of the novel Malkout by Bahram Sadeghi has an epigraph that is in fact a verse from the Qur'an:فَبَشِّر هُم بِعذاب الیم [Give them good news of a painful torment] (Q 84: 24). “فَبَشِّر” in Arabic means “give good news”, but in this verse, the word "good news" is used to express painful and tormenting news! Here we are dealing with a so called sarcastic metaphor, and the novel Malkout by Bahram Saldaghi (1340/ 1962) can be considered altogether as an extended form of this sarcastic metaphor (see also Aslani, 2019; 2021).
The fact is that Malakout is a postmodern novel, and neglecting this fact has caused many critics of the novel to pay more attention to its epistemological details rather than to its ontological nature. What is important in the analysis of a postmodern novel, rather than revealing its meanings, is related to the description of certain literary techniques, which are used to emphasize the futility of the old meanings. Malakout, like detective novels, has many secrets and there are many clues with the help of which one can unravel some of its mysteries and riddles (Shiri, 2005; Sᾱ’edi, 1992). If the mysteries and riddles in detective novels are finally solved completely, the solution of many mysteries of Malakout, like many other postmodern novels, are due to the readers themselves. Each reader must solve the mysteries and riddles in his or her own way and gives his or her own meaning to the novel (Ebrahimi Fakhari, 2019).
Apart from the importance of the reader's role in the interpretation of the novel, these works have other characteristics that without paying attention to them, one cannot expect a logical evaluation of the work. Some of these postmodern features and techniques which are very important in this novel and will be discussed here are as follows: meta-fiction (Waugh, 1984), intertextuality, fragmentation, black humor, pastiche, temporal distortion, minimalism, and finally grotesque (Lehmann 2005; Barry, 2002; Imhof 1986; Imhof 1986).
Malkout can be seen as a satirical imitation of texts such as the Old Testament and the New Testament, and Ykolia and her Loneliness (Modarresi, 1334/ 1955). One of the most important features of postmodern novels is satire and ridicule of moral beliefs and social and cultural institutions ruling the society (Safi Pirludje, 2015; Hutcheon, 1988; Genette, 1980); Sadeghi by using techniques such as meta-fiction, black humor, pastiche and grotesque, mocked the images of mythological characters such as Jehovah, Satan, Ab (Father or Christian God) and Christ. He mocked the authority of the strongest cultural institutions of his time, which ironically and day by day were to take a greater importance and power so that they finally took the upper hand in Iran.
This novel is the first successful post-modern novel in the Persian language, and apart from its aesthetic values and literary importance, it shows the great power of the Persian language in expressing new mentalities and creating new spaces that have not had the slightest history in this language. The modern Persian novel started with the Blind Owl of Sadegh Hedayat, and Persian novel with Malkout Bahram Sadeghi stepped into another completely new stage called postmodern (see also Ghasri 2022; Nadjafi 2020; Honarmand 2011).
References
Aslani, M. R., 2019, Bᾱzmᾱnde-hᾱ-ye Qaribi Āshenᾱ…, Tehran, Niloufar Publisher.
Aslani, M. R., 2021, “Jᾱvedᾱnegi”, Bahram Sadeghi; Tᾱrikh-e shafᾱhi-ye Dᾱastᾱn-Nevisᾱn-e Iran, edited by Hamed Ghasri, Tehran, Kettab-e Sarzamin.
Ebrahimi Fakhari, M. M., and Sharifnasab, M., 2019, “Barresi-ye Sdze-ye Modern dar Bouf-e Kour-e Sadegh-e Hedayat”, Naqd Va Nazari-je-je Adabi, vol. 4, Winter, No.2.
Genette, G., 1980, Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method, translated by J. E. Lewin Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press.
Ghasri, H., 2022, Bahrᾱm Sᾱdeghi; Tᾱrikh-e Shafᾱhi-e Dᾱstᾱn-Nevisi Iran, Tehran, Ketᾱb-e Sarzamin.
Honarmand, Saeed, 2011, “MALAKUT”, in: Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, 2011, available at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/malakut (accessed on 16 October 2017).
Hutcheon, Linda, 1988, A Poetics of Postmodernism, London, Routledge. pp. 202-203.
Imhof, Rüdiger, 1986, Contemporary Metafiction – A Poetological Study of Metafiction in English since 1939, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag.
Lehmann, H. T., 2005, Post-dramatic Theatre, Rutledge.
Lewis, Barry, 2002, “Postmodernism and Literature”, in: The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism, edited by Stuart Sim, Routledge, pp. 121-134.
Modarresi, T., 1971, Yakoliyᾱ va Tanhᾱ’i-ye ’u, Tehran, Nil Publisher.
Nadjafi, A. H., 2020, Goft-o-go bᾱ Abol-Hasan Nadjafi, ed. By Omid Tabibzadeh, Tehran, Niloufar Publisher.
Sadeghi, B., 1961, “Malakout”, Ketᾱb-e Hafte, No. 12, 7-100.
Sadeghi, B., 2000, Malakout, Tehran, Ketᾱb-e Zamᾱn.
Safi Pirludje, H., 2015, Ravᾱyat Padzuhi dar Zamᾱn; Sanjesh-e Ravesh-hᾱ-je Ghesse-Gu’I va Dᾱstᾱn-nevisi dar Fᾱrsi, Tehran, Padzuheshgᾱh-e Olum-e Ensᾱni va Motᾱle’ᾱt-e Farhangi.
Shiri, Gh., 2005, “Pasᾱmodernism va Maktab-e Dᾱstᾱn-nevisi-ye Esfahᾱn”, Majale-ye Daneshkade-ye Adabijᾱt-e Dᾱneshgᾱh-e Esfehᾱn, Vol. 2, 43, Winter, 167-198.
Sᾱ’edi, Gh., 1992, “Honar-e Dᾱstᾱn-Nevisi-ye Bahram Sadeghi”, Kelk, No. 32 and 33.
Waugh, Patricia, 1984, Metafiction – The Theory and Practice of Self-Conscious Fiction, London, New York: Routledge.
Masoud Algooneh Juneghani,
Volume 17, Issue 67 (10-2024)
Volume 17, Issue 67 (10-2024)
Abstract
The short story The Lottery written by Shirley Jackson depicts the annual lottery ritual in a small American village. The story ends in a strange and scary manner. This story is aimed at those cultural norms and customs that act as false consciousness, leading individuals to pre-contemplative actions. Actions that occur mostly in the context of social praxis and therefore lack the necessary rationality, because basically, the driving force behind these actions is a blind social will. Based on this, and in response to the question of how "standing in the death row" relates to the lottery and why this ritual persists, the author explains the socio-psychological indicators of the work by employing the mythological model of René Gerard as the general framework of criticism while analyzing and criticizing the present story. In the end, it is clear that the foundation of this story is based on the offering of sacrifice as a ritual matter occurs "prior to symbolic representation". Sacrifice rituals, while representing material realities, organize the internal system of the work.
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery is an exploration of tradition, ritual, and the darker side of human nature. This story was first published in 1948 and at the very beginning, it faced a lot of criticism because of the horrible portrayal of cultural norms and customs. Anyway, the events of the story take place in a small village in rural America. This short and strange story finally leaves the reader stunned, prompting questions such as: "What kind of luck is this that the people of the village are so attached to?”; “What is the relationship between what the villagers follow every year in a ritualistic manner, with their ‘standing in the death row’, or with the lottery?”; and “Why is such a deadly ritual basically not abolished?"; indeed, “According to what perception, falling into the death trap is called luck?”
2. Review of Literature
Anggriawan (2013) in a research titled Human Irony in Shirley Jackson's Lottery analyzes The Lottery using Peirce's semiotics to reveal human ironies. Bailey (2014) in a study called Sacred Violence in Shirley Jackson's Lottery, before applying René Gerard's theory on violence, religion, and sacrifice, first briefly examines the range of critical readings. In a joint research, Anoosheh and others (2018) have tried to read and interpret The Lottery in the light of Durkheim's theory. In this review, it is determined that despite the fact that the main character of the story is thought to be brutally killed by his friends and family, as a result of being too integrated into the structure of society, however, he actually committed altruistic suicide. Hakaraia (2019) argues that The Lottery can be read in five contrasting ways, referring to the influence adopted by Jackson from Empson's seven types of ambiguity. Nugraha and others (2020) analyze the main character of The Lottery by applying role-oriented systemic linguistics. Paramitha (2021) emphasizes in his research that the ideologies hidden in the text include social dominance and marginalization through tradition.
3. Methodology
In order to answer the above-mentioned questions, the author has tried to explain some of the socio-psychological indicators of the work while analyzing its underlying mythological framework to make it clear that in the basis of this story, we are dealing with a general pattern based on the sacrifice of the victim. In fact, in the story of The Lottery, the ritual of the sacrifice acts in order "prior to the symbolic representation" and for this reason, the unfolding of the sacrifice, as an objective and real phenomenon, organizes the internal system of the work. Therefore, the ironic situation of the story and the paradoxical logic that governs it originates from a kind of ancient anthropological attitude that, according to many thinkers, does not belong solely to primitive thought. In the following, we will see that the mythological model of René Gerard, a French American thinker, has the ability to analyze and criticize the current story, as a structural model that does not lose its dependence on real and objective history in mythological studies and literary theory.
4. Discussion
René Girard believes that what is mentioned in the Western tradition under the topic of mimesis or imitation is based on the subject's imitation of another; But according to him, desire is not the result of simulations, but actually its cause. This means that the subject's tendency towards the external matter is not due to its intrinsic and internal nature, but rather the desire is directed towards the other rather than towards the object and its possession. In this relationship, the other plays the role of a model or mediator, and therefore, whatever is desirable in his eyes, influences the subject, and therefore the subject's desire turns to it. Therefore, the desire for the object is on the second level and it is the result of such simulations. After proposing the "triangular model of mimetic desire" (cf. Girard, 2000: 33-44), Girard emphasizes that when the model is on par with the subject, or in other words, it is in the same social position with him in terms of type and rank, competition is formed. This competition continues until the subject and the model alternately change their places and are affected by each other. In this way, trying to emulate the other's desire will eventually lead to similarity between the parties; this similarity reaches to the point where it becomes nearly impossible to separate the parties from each other. French-American thinker, René Girard, offers a specific mythological psychoanalytic framework through which Shirley Jackson's Lottery can be analyzed. His theory of mimetic desire for violence, religion, and sacrifice reveals the hidden meanings in the story. Girard believes that all desires are simulations; that is, they come from imitating others. Our desires mirror what we perceive others desiring. In fact, desire consists of three elements: the subject, the model (someone whose desires we imitate), and the object (what we desire).
Girard argues that imitative desire leads to competition and conflict. When desires collide, violence erupts. To restore order, societies often scapegoat an individual or group and blame them for collective problems. Don Quixote is a good example to explain the imitative desire. Influenced by chivalric romances, this character imitates fictional knights. In the same way, the villagers in The Lottery imitate ancient rituals without thinking about the ultimate aspects of their behavior.
Accordingly, Old Warner embodies the continuation of the tradition. He insists Lottery must continue, even if it means sacrificing one person each year. His identity is tied to the survival of this violent system. Gerard's main idea is that violence is fundamental to human societies. The sacred often derives from violence, whether in religious rituals, legends, or cultural practices. This explains why the ritual of the Lottery, though horrific, functions as a sacred practice. Stoning becomes a collective bonding experience that strengthens social cohesion. Tessie Hutchinson becomes the victim. Her death cleanses society of collective guilt or anxiety. The villagers unite against her and strengthen their common identity.
References
Anggriawan, D. (2013). A human irony in Shirley Jackson's Lottery. Department of Language and Literature, English Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Brawijaya University.
Anoosheh, S. M., & Oroskhan, M. H. (2018). Examining Durkheim's model of suicide on Shirley Jackson's Lottery. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 83, 31-38. https://doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/ILSHS.83.31
Bailey, T. (2014). Sacred violence in Shirley Jackson's Lottery. British and American Studies, 20(203), 37-42.
Hakaraia, T. (2019). Shirley Jackson’s ‘Lottery’ and William Empson’s seven types of ambiguity. Humanities, 8(3), 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/h8030137
Girard, R. (2000). The Girard reader (J. G. Williams, Ed.). The Crossroad Publishing Company.
Nugraha, I. S., & Mahdi, S. (2020). Transitivity system on building character of Mr. Summers in Lottery by Shirley Jackson. A Journal of Culture English Language Teaching Literature and Linguistics, 7(1), 35-43. https://doi.org/10.22219/celtic.v7i1.11980
Paramitha, N. P. (2021). Social domination and marginalization in Shirley Jackson’s Lottery: Critical discourse analysis and appraisal study. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v6i1.499
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery is an exploration of tradition, ritual, and the darker side of human nature. This story was first published in 1948 and at the very beginning, it faced a lot of criticism because of the horrible portrayal of cultural norms and customs. Anyway, the events of the story take place in a small village in rural America. This short and strange story finally leaves the reader stunned, prompting questions such as: "What kind of luck is this that the people of the village are so attached to?”; “What is the relationship between what the villagers follow every year in a ritualistic manner, with their ‘standing in the death row’, or with the lottery?”; and “Why is such a deadly ritual basically not abolished?"; indeed, “According to what perception, falling into the death trap is called luck?”
2. Review of Literature
Anggriawan (2013) in a research titled Human Irony in Shirley Jackson's Lottery analyzes The Lottery using Peirce's semiotics to reveal human ironies. Bailey (2014) in a study called Sacred Violence in Shirley Jackson's Lottery, before applying René Gerard's theory on violence, religion, and sacrifice, first briefly examines the range of critical readings. In a joint research, Anoosheh and others (2018) have tried to read and interpret The Lottery in the light of Durkheim's theory. In this review, it is determined that despite the fact that the main character of the story is thought to be brutally killed by his friends and family, as a result of being too integrated into the structure of society, however, he actually committed altruistic suicide. Hakaraia (2019) argues that The Lottery can be read in five contrasting ways, referring to the influence adopted by Jackson from Empson's seven types of ambiguity. Nugraha and others (2020) analyze the main character of The Lottery by applying role-oriented systemic linguistics. Paramitha (2021) emphasizes in his research that the ideologies hidden in the text include social dominance and marginalization through tradition.
3. Methodology
In order to answer the above-mentioned questions, the author has tried to explain some of the socio-psychological indicators of the work while analyzing its underlying mythological framework to make it clear that in the basis of this story, we are dealing with a general pattern based on the sacrifice of the victim. In fact, in the story of The Lottery, the ritual of the sacrifice acts in order "prior to the symbolic representation" and for this reason, the unfolding of the sacrifice, as an objective and real phenomenon, organizes the internal system of the work. Therefore, the ironic situation of the story and the paradoxical logic that governs it originates from a kind of ancient anthropological attitude that, according to many thinkers, does not belong solely to primitive thought. In the following, we will see that the mythological model of René Gerard, a French American thinker, has the ability to analyze and criticize the current story, as a structural model that does not lose its dependence on real and objective history in mythological studies and literary theory.
4. Discussion
René Girard believes that what is mentioned in the Western tradition under the topic of mimesis or imitation is based on the subject's imitation of another; But according to him, desire is not the result of simulations, but actually its cause. This means that the subject's tendency towards the external matter is not due to its intrinsic and internal nature, but rather the desire is directed towards the other rather than towards the object and its possession. In this relationship, the other plays the role of a model or mediator, and therefore, whatever is desirable in his eyes, influences the subject, and therefore the subject's desire turns to it. Therefore, the desire for the object is on the second level and it is the result of such simulations. After proposing the "triangular model of mimetic desire" (cf. Girard, 2000: 33-44), Girard emphasizes that when the model is on par with the subject, or in other words, it is in the same social position with him in terms of type and rank, competition is formed. This competition continues until the subject and the model alternately change their places and are affected by each other. In this way, trying to emulate the other's desire will eventually lead to similarity between the parties; this similarity reaches to the point where it becomes nearly impossible to separate the parties from each other. French-American thinker, René Girard, offers a specific mythological psychoanalytic framework through which Shirley Jackson's Lottery can be analyzed. His theory of mimetic desire for violence, religion, and sacrifice reveals the hidden meanings in the story. Girard believes that all desires are simulations; that is, they come from imitating others. Our desires mirror what we perceive others desiring. In fact, desire consists of three elements: the subject, the model (someone whose desires we imitate), and the object (what we desire).
Girard argues that imitative desire leads to competition and conflict. When desires collide, violence erupts. To restore order, societies often scapegoat an individual or group and blame them for collective problems. Don Quixote is a good example to explain the imitative desire. Influenced by chivalric romances, this character imitates fictional knights. In the same way, the villagers in The Lottery imitate ancient rituals without thinking about the ultimate aspects of their behavior.
Accordingly, Old Warner embodies the continuation of the tradition. He insists Lottery must continue, even if it means sacrificing one person each year. His identity is tied to the survival of this violent system. Gerard's main idea is that violence is fundamental to human societies. The sacred often derives from violence, whether in religious rituals, legends, or cultural practices. This explains why the ritual of the Lottery, though horrific, functions as a sacred practice. Stoning becomes a collective bonding experience that strengthens social cohesion. Tessie Hutchinson becomes the victim. Her death cleanses society of collective guilt or anxiety. The villagers unite against her and strengthen their common identity.
References
Anggriawan, D. (2013). A human irony in Shirley Jackson's Lottery. Department of Language and Literature, English Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Studies, Brawijaya University.
Anoosheh, S. M., & Oroskhan, M. H. (2018). Examining Durkheim's model of suicide on Shirley Jackson's Lottery. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 83, 31-38. https://doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/ILSHS.83.31
Bailey, T. (2014). Sacred violence in Shirley Jackson's Lottery. British and American Studies, 20(203), 37-42.
Hakaraia, T. (2019). Shirley Jackson’s ‘Lottery’ and William Empson’s seven types of ambiguity. Humanities, 8(3), 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/h8030137
Girard, R. (2000). The Girard reader (J. G. Williams, Ed.). The Crossroad Publishing Company.
Nugraha, I. S., & Mahdi, S. (2020). Transitivity system on building character of Mr. Summers in Lottery by Shirley Jackson. A Journal of Culture English Language Teaching Literature and Linguistics, 7(1), 35-43. https://doi.org/10.22219/celtic.v7i1.11980
Paramitha, N. P. (2021). Social domination and marginalization in Shirley Jackson’s Lottery: Critical discourse analysis and appraisal study. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v6i1.499
Zahra Jannessari Ladani,
Volume 17, Issue 68 (2-2025)
Volume 17, Issue 68 (2-2025)
Abstract
This article examines Zoha Kazemi’s novel, Humanoid, from the perspective of memory studies and pursues two goals: to delve into the effects of advanced technologies, in the dystopian society of the novel, on characters’ memories and the change in their human identity; and to examine the relation between the act of narrating in the novel and memory and its functions, and its relation with the formation of the political act and social reform. This research is necessary as Humanoid came into being in an era of rapid technological change whereby the impact of these developments on mind, memory, individual and collective identity, and culture is inevitable. Thus, the investigation of these concerns in the crucible of literature is a timely response. This study adopts theories from the field of memory studies and provides a close reading of parts of the novel whenever required. In this way, focal issues such as declarative memory and procedural memory, the connection of memory with technology and the formation of identity, and the connection of memory with politics and narrative in the novel will be expounded. The results show that modern technologies in the field of biology in the dystopian society of Humanoid are tools to control and shape the human identity, and put it on its path of evolution towards the post-human state. On the other hand, narrative can be considered as a tool to preserve human identity whereby it leads to political action, and moves the society towards awareness, resistance and change.
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