This research aims to explore and examine Julia Kristeva's theory of the semiotic and symbolic dimensions of language on L. M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon. In this novel Montgomery portrays the life of a young girl, Emily, who is in the middle of fight to gain self-realization. Kristeva suggests that the part of consciousness repressed by the process of the formation of the self through language – the symbolic- retains its own language - the semiotic- which cannot be entirely annihilated by our birth into the symbolic, and instead erupts into our controlled communication as unruly and uncontrolled expression. Emily has talent in writing and owns great imagination, which she uses as rebellion against the hardships of her life and by the interaction between father's realm of language and calmness and unity of mother's territory, her identity is in process. This research interprets Emily's shift from outer objective world to the inner reflective essence as a defense mechanism, through Kristeva's dichotomous concept of language. پرونده مقاله

Identity is a contested concept in the presently diverse and multicultural world, and is reflected in the works of literature as well. Great numbers of theoretical works have been applied to literary works concerning the issue of identity, the most recent of which is postcolonial criticism. Spivak, the prominent figure in postcolonial feminist criticism, mainly concerns her theory with the struggle of the minority (the colonized or the females) against the oppression and injustice of the dominant system of power, which denies them an identity through which, they would assert themselves as dynamic agents who can act in history, rather than being acted upon. The aim of this study is to analyze the ways by which the female characters of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, are objectified as groups rather than individuals, and in Spivak’s words, subalterns who have no voice and their identity is affected by the ideological system of power. The researcher eventually indicates that the subaltern, though being silenced, would find her own way to assert her subjectivity. پرونده مقاله

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. پرونده مقاله

This paper examines how J. M. Coetzee addresses the challenges of depicting torture in his novel Waiting for the Barbarians. Coetzee was grappling with how to represent state violence and oppression without trivializing or validating such acts. The novel tells the story of the Magistrate in a frontier town as the Colonel arrives to interrogate and torture prisoners. Through witnessing the torture, the Magistrate begins to question his complicity in the Empire’s crimes. Coetzee uses ambiguity and symbolism to criticize oppressive systems without glorifying torturers. The paper analyzes how the novel engages with postmodern literary theories, particularly deconstruction. Scenes where the Magistrate struggles to articulate his experiences represent the limits of language according to deconstructionist thinkers like Derrida. Coetzee also depicts the torturers in an intentionally unclear way to avoid justifying their actions while still acknowledging state violence. Ultimately, through undergoing his own imprisonment and torture, the Magistrate comes to realize his own moral failings in quietly accepting oppression. This reveals universal human tendencies towards complicity. By removing clear moral distinctions and emphasizing shared culpability, Coetzee addresses the ethical issues of portraying torture without trivializing harm or sympathizing with perpetrators. The novel underscores the paradox that oppression imparts a duty to speak out yet language can never fully convey lived experiences of violence. پرونده مقاله