Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Ph. D. student of Persian language and literature, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies
2 Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies
Abstract
One of the first steps writers took in crafting their contemporary stories was the writing of historical novels. Traditionally, historical novels are grounded in the events of a specific period in history, exploring the ontology of the people of that time; they reflect those individuals' psychological, emotional, and behavioral characteristics, and reconstruct the social and political conditions of the era. These early novels were primarily written to reflect a character's life or a historical event and had a more educational aspect (raising awareness about history) for their audiences. However, the philosophical perspectives of the twentieth century cast doubt on the existence of a singular truth (and consequently, on the existence of only one possible narrative). Therefore, it must be acknowledged that as the definition of history changes, so too does the definition of the historical novel, leading to a new genre of historical fiction that is not limited to representing historical events as they appear in historical accounts. Instead, contemporary writers strive to focus on individuals' perceptions of reality, the impact of various perspectives on historical events, skepticism towards history, and a critical view of historical occurrences. Additionally, with the advancement of storytelling, the elements of narrative in these new historical novels have evolved, distancing themselves from the traditional forms that resembled tales and stories of classical literature. This research is a descriptive-analytical study that aims to demonstrate, using the overarching historical approach of Hayden White (an American historian and philosopher) and the narrative theory of Gérard Genette (a French theorist and semiotician), that with the transformation of the historical novel's definition, both its formal and content characteristics also change. Thus, this study analyzes six historical novels written after the Islamic Revolution in terms of content and some narrative and structural features, such as narrative order, frequency, perspective (focalization), characterization, and time and place in the story. Based on this redefinition, three types of historical novels have been identified in the four decades following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, based on content: novels that address neglected aspects of history; novels that reflect the individual and social identity of Iranians while detailing historical events in the traditional historical novel format; and novels that question historical events and approach history with a critical perspective. The structural and narrative characteristics of these three types of novels include the use of first-person narration and internal focalization, which allows the author to present events from the viewpoint of a character in the story, highlighting that individual's perspective on the historical event. There is also a non-linear narrative structure, the use of analepsis, and a modern narrative style that distances these stories from traditional storytelling. The abundance of characters and the focus on overlooked figures in historical accounts, such as women and marginalized individuals, as well as the significance of non-historical characters in shaping events and a novel approach to the elements of time and place, are also pivotal features.
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