ادبیات تطبیقی (Aug 2023)
A Comparative Study of the Components of Dystopian Literature in the Novels “Terrible Tehran” and “Handmaid’s Tale
Abstract
Introduction "Dystopia" means a fictional place where people live inhumane and often terrifying lives. The grounds for the emergence of dystopia, which is also known as dystopian literature, are works that have viewed the reality of human life in the contemporary world with extreme pessimism. In addition to expressing dissatisfaction and criticism of the present, this literary genre examines the dangerous effects of political and social structures on the future of humanity. In this essay, two examples of dystopian works from two different Iranian and American cultures; That is, the novels "The Terrible Tehran" by Morteza Mushfiq Kazemi and "The Handmaid’s Tale" by Margaret Atwood have been examined and compared. According to some experts such as Gary Saul Morson, American writer and literary critic, in the book "Boundaries of Genres", Frederick Jameson (1998), American critic and theorist, and George Orwell, author of the dystopian novel "1984" Dystopian literature is an independent type and genre whose components may occur. (Orwell, 1968: 502؛Burroway, 2011: 29؛Morson, 2010: 128)The dystopian story began in the early 20th century and developed during this century, a period that required revolution, cold war, and major critical social changes; “When attitudes toward nature and human society began to change around the world, this change began with the outbreak of World War I and intensified after World War II. The brutality and violence depicted between European countries in World War I and subsequent events such as the economic crisis throughout Europe, the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, the use of atomic weapons and then the outbreak of World War II, views changed to human nature. (Alter, 2017: 9)American literary critic Moulin (1943) says: "The dystopian narrative is mainly a product of the horrors of the 20th century. A hundred years of exploitation, repression, state violence, war, genocide, disease, famine, genocide, depression, debt, and the continued destruction of humanity have provided the perfect ground for the fictional infrastructure of dystopia. (Moylan, 2000: 11) These events and developments in an age when humanity claimed progress in science, industry, and claimed cultural and moral progress and elevation, caused human doubt and existential anxiety in the modern era. The idea of using man-made science and technology against man himself made them angry and frustrated, and literature began to reflect these new negative feelings.Dystopian literature or "anti-utopian" literature refers to the mistakes of utopian ideas in real human society. (Sargent, 2010: 103) and examines the dangerous effects of political and social structures on the future of humanity. ( Jameson, 1998: 28؛ Kaplan, 2015: 93؛ Gottlieb, 2001: 13) but theorists such as Bakulini argue that: "Dystopia shows dissatisfaction and criticism of the present time. (Baccolini, 2013: 37)Sargent (1994), an American researcher who has done research on utopia, considers dystopia narrative in fiction to be about a non-existent society that is "significantly worse than the one the reader or writer currently lives in." (Sargent, 2010: 93) Dystopian literature is "in contrast to utopian literature, in which the future imagined for human society is ominous, morbid and full of filth. In these works, the pure human qualities turn to lowness and give way to vices and beastly qualities, and evil and filth dominate the society" (Mirsadeghi, 1998: 8-7). In general, the main focus of dystopian literature is social and political criticism.Booker, an American expert, considers dystopian works as a social critique of contemporary society. He says: "While utopian works try to show the ideal society in order to explore alternatives to contemporary life, dystopian works act as social criticism in showing the negative aspects of contemporary society in a false or pseudo-utopian culture." (Booker, 1994: 3)In dystopian research, the main goal is to understand the social dreams that are destroyed in dystopian novels. In the 20th century, the writers of Plaidshahr have given answers in the form of stories and novels to technological, intellectual, and industrial changes, as well as two world wars and the subsequent changes in the way people perceive themselves at the individual and national level. 2.MethodologyThe present study will apply the two novels "Terrible Tehran" by Morteza Mushfiq Kazemi (1977-1902) and "The Handmaid’s Tale" by Margaret Atwood ( November 1995) based on the American school, and in terms of The research tool and field is based on library documents and note-taking. It should also be mentioned that this research will be investigated and analyzed based on the teachings of the American school.Research questionsWhat are the patterns and components of dystopian literature in the two novels Tehran Makhoof and Nadima's Story? What are the similarities between the motif of dystopia in the novel Teheran Makhuf and the dystopia of Nadima's story? 3.DiscussionUnlike utopian literature, which has a relatively older history, dystopian literature is a new phenomenon and examines the darkest aspects of the human mind and human nature. from another point of view, the term dystopia is mainly a literary term and it refers to a group of literary works that act as warning stories against a kind of totalitarian government and uses human experiences, the failure of governments, evil ideologies and the rule of corrupt rulers and leaders.The essence of dystopian literature is to inform and warn; Therefore, by using comparative literature and comparative study of dystopia, cross-border and transnational awareness can be achieved in this field. Dystopian societies in the dystopian literature are catastrophic and degenerating societies. The people of this society are characters who fight against environmental destruction and environmental destruction, technology control and government oppression.In this research, similar social components of both novels have been discussed in the main parts of corruption in the political structure and totalitarian society, control techniques, war and coup, social adaptation and feminist topics, and it was found that both dystopian novels studied; "The Handmaid’s Tale" and "Terrible Tehran" are works that draw great concerns about the future and depict them. These novels warn of what will happen if the world continues as it is in the story. Each of these stories depict a world that has gone astray and has used human history to convey this message. These two dystopian works have used the most frightening and unimaginable aspects of the political environment, so that even though the political structures and genres change, the dystopian idea and all that shows the ugliness of the society will remain constant in the literary world. 4.ConclusionBoth the novels "The handmaid's Tale" and "The Terrible Tehran" had political themes in which the governments have applied the most extreme violence and political propaganda to control the people; People who are not allowed to think freely and the regime has complete control over their freedoms. The most important consequences of surveillance and control are the destruction of emotions, human needs, and family ties. It is in this situation that a strong hero flourishes based on the current situation. In each of these novels, the protagonist does not consider the government to be fair and tries his best to fight against it. The protagonist sees flaws and vulnerable aspects and implements a plan to highlight and expose those weaknesses. In both novels, which are good examples to show the nature of totalitarian societies, the way leaders and government officials act has caused corruption in government departments, the use of the law in line with the interests of those in power, suppression of freedom seekers and opponents, and petrification. In order to control the people and prevent deviations and opposition protests, the rulers of dystopia have used tools such as advertising, propaganda, censorship, drugs and violence. In both novels, war and coup as another important component of dystopian novels has left a deep impact, and the evil rulers were able to create a level of social uniformity in the society with a strong tool called the policy of implementing social adaptation to facilitate the advancement of their government process. Finally, in these two selected dystopian novels, the status of women is mentioned; The role of women, their importance and dignity are among the hidden concepts in the novel "The Handmaid's Tale".The focus of the novel "The Terrible Tehran" is also on the disclosure of the pitiful situation of women in the years after the constitutional revolution. The purpose of the genre of dystopia is that the members of society and nations come to an insight to study history in general and to inform about the filth to prevent mistakes from happening. Otherwise history and its mistakes will be repeated and what should not happen. Therefore, both selected dystopian novels, not only on individual change; Rather, they have focused on collective improvement, and this is the only way to ensure social and political happiness. These two novels actually depicted futuristic worlds where a number of their assumptions have been realized in the real world.
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