Reconstruction of Identity in Modern Iranian Fiction
Subject Areas : Journal of Teaching English Language Studies
1 - Department of English Language and Literature, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
Keywords: Judith Butler, performativity, modern Persian fiction, identity,
Abstract :
Abstract Studying modern Iranian fiction demonstrates a gradual shift in gender identity formation. This transition includes the multiple perspectives towards the female by the male characters, dangling between their comprehension of women as either angels or witches. The emergence of womanly-men and manly-women literary characters is a sign of a gradual refusal of the conventional gender roles during the last decades. This study aims to develop a new perspective on reading modern Persian fiction regarding the issue of gender and identity, based on Judith Butler’s theory of the performativity of identity.Classical Persian literature, dominated by masculine myths, considered mobility and assertiveness as the natural, featuring characteristic for males. The image of women in these works is usually associated with enclosure and domesticity and those women are appreciated who show modesty and purity of manner. This study aims to develop a new perspective on reading modern Persian fiction concerning the issue of gender and identity. The significance of the present research lies in its attempt to change the stereotyped image that the West has of Iranian Muslim women and their social reality.
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