Analysis of "Dream of Tibet" by Fariba Vafi Based on Gerard Genette's Three-level Theory

The present study examines the novel entitled as "Dream of Tibet" that is authored by Fariba Vafi, from the perspective of Gérard Genette's narratology theory, based on his seminal work "Narrative Discourse". The purpose of this study is to analyze Vafi's distinctive narrative style through the lens of narratology. According to Genette's three-level theory, this analysis has examined the novel from the perspectives of narrative time, narrative facet, and narrator's voice. Based on the narrative structure of the work, it has identified and categorized its narrative features. The study concludes that "Dream of Tibet" has led to the triple focalization by employing a narrator with a variable point of view (second person and first person) and by creating a multi-faceted narrative. Furthermore, the author employs a distinctive narrative technique by incorporating time shifts and sub-narratives. Since the story begins with the final incident, this method emphasizes the development of suspense and its gradual resolution throughout the narrative.
Introduction
This paper presents a comprehensive narratological analysis of *The Dream of Tibet*, a celebrated novel by Iranian author Fariba Vafi, through the conceptual framework of Gerard Genette’s three-level narrative theory—namely the levels of “story (histoire)”, “narrative (recit)”, and “narration (narration)”. Vafi, recognized as one of the most subtle voices in contemporary Persian fiction, creates works that explore female interiority, silence, and memory. Her prose often demonstrates a fragmented yet poetic style that invites readers into the psychological world of her protagonists. By applying Genette’s model, this research seeks to uncover how narrative time, perspective, and voice operate within “Dream of Tibet” to construct a complex interplay between the self and its narration. The significance of this study lies in its attempt to bridge modern Iranian narrative art with Western narratological theory, fostering a cross-cultural understanding of narrative structure and meaning-making. While many existing analyses of Vafi’s work focus on thematic aspects such as femininity, identity, and social constraints, they often overlook the deeper mechanics of narration that generate these themes. Genette’s theoretical distinctions offer a precise tool to explore how the “form” of narration embodies these meanings beyond the surface of the story. “Dream of Tibet” revolves around internal psychological landscapes rather than external dramatic events. Its fragmented chronologies and reflective monologues mirror the protagonist’s alienation and quest for authenticity. Within this novel, the narrative voice simultaneously observes and experiences, creating a dual layer of self-reflection that resonates with Genette’s concept of “metadiegetic” narration. Therefore, this research aims not merely to analyze a novel’s plot but to investigate the operation of time, perspective, and narrative layering as the main forces that generate emotion and meaning. By emphasizing how Vafi uses narratorial shifts and temporal manipulation, the study underscores the evolution of Persian narrative aesthetics toward more modernist and symbolic dimensions.
Method 
The current research employs a qualitative descriptive method grounded in narratological textual analysis, guided specifically by Genette’s triadic distinction of narrative levels. The methodology unfolds through three coordinated phases.

1. Story Level (histoire):

 At this level in specific, attention is given to the raw sequence of fictional events, their chronological arrangement, and the interplay of duration and frequency. The analysis identifies the temporal distortions—such as analepsis (flashback) and prolepsis (foreshadowing)—through which the narrator reconstructs memory. The study maps the novel’s fragmented time frame to show how the protagonist’s recollections replace linear progression with associative rhythm. The story’s temporality thus becomes a metaphor for the instability of identity, while repeated motifs (such as dreams, travel, or the motif of Tibet itself) depict the recurring desire for transcendence and escape.
2.Narrative Level (recit): 
At this intermediate level, the focus shifts to narrative discourse—the manner in which events are recounted rather than the events themselves. Genette’s categories of mood, voice, and focalization guide this part of the analysis. Through close reading, the researcher differentiates between internal focalization (where narration aligns with the protagonist’s perspective) and external focalization (where the narrator observes from an external viewpoint). In “Dream of Tibet,” Vafi merges these focalizations to create a hybrid narrative space that blurs the line between observer and experiencer. The result is a poetic compression of perspective, a technique that deepens emotional intensity and portrays memory as simultaneously intimate and elusive. Furthermore, narrative voice in the novel demonstrates oscillation between homodiegetic and heterodiegetic modes. At times, the narrator participates directly in the story via sharing subjective experiences. At other times, she retreats into distant observation. This alternation produces a rhythmic tension that mirrors inner conflict between “reality and imagination,” and “presence and absence.” Linguistic markers such as shifts in verb tense and narrative framing are coded and annotated to trace this dynamism of voice, illustrating how time and perspective fuse to express unspoken emotions.

3. Narration Level (narration):

The third level concerns the act of telling—the situation of narration itself: who speaks, when, and from where. According to Genette, each narrative contains implicit conditions of speech that shape its meaning. This study examines spatial and temporal boundaries of narration in Vafi’s text: how the narrative moment of enunciation occurs in relation to the narrated events. The narrator’s retrospective stance—telling past memories from a later temporal position—creates layers of distance between self and experience. These layers are unpacked through discourse analysis to show how subjective time structures reality. The narrating voice becomes a site of negotiation, mediating between past pain and present understanding. 
The method integrates systematic textual annotation with interpretive commentary. Selected passages from the novel are coded according to Genette’s temporal categories (order, duration, frequency), focalization types, and narrative levels. Patterns are then compared and synthesized thematically. By combining theoretical precision with reflective interpretation, the study reveals how narrative mechanics reflect the protagonist’s psychological development and how Vafi’s stylistic choices transform everyday emotional experience into literary form.
Conclusion 
The findings indicate that “Dream of Tibet” exemplifies a new phase in Persian novelistic narration, where psychological realism intertwines with postmodern narrative fragmentation. Within Genette’s framework, the novel achieves narrative complexity not through elaborate plot but through the architecture of time and voice. The story level demonstrates continuous oscillation between recollection and imagination, dissolving boundaries between past and present. At the narrative level, Vafi’s internal focalization transforms the narrative into a mirror of consciousness—producing empathy through silence and gaps rather than explicit description. The narration level further frames storytelling as an act of self-examination, turning narration itself into a therapeutic process for the protagonist. In essence, Fariba Vafi’s narrative technique embodies both intimacy and indeterminacy: she allows readers to inhabit emotional states without resolving them. Her use of fragmented temporality, elliptical dialogue, and reflective monologue aligns with Gérard Genette’s principles of complex narrative discourse, proving that Persian prose can engage with universal narratological concerns while maintaining cultural distinctiveness. The study concludes that the integration of Genette’s theory into the analysis of Persian fiction enables scholars to appreciate the subtle technical artistry underlying themes of gender and solitude—elements often seen as purely thematic but deeply rooted in narrative form.
From a theoretical standpoint, this research affirms that Genette’s three-level model serves not merely as an analytical grid but as a hermeneutic instrument to understand how narrative structures shape perception and identity. It underscores the relevance of narratology in non-Western literary contexts and invites further studies that compare Iranian narrative voices with European modernist forms.  Ultimately, “Dream of Tibet” is not just a story of a woman’s inner journey; it is a profound meditation on the nature of storytelling itself. The protagonist narrates her life to reconstruct meaning from fragmentation, just as Vafi manipulates narrative structure to transform silence into expression. The convergence of memory and narrative voice creates a polyphonic texture where personal history becomes collective experience. Through this multidimensional reading, the study contributes to deeper insight into both Vafi’s artistic vision and the adaptive power of Genette’s narratology beyond its original French theoretical sphere. 

Ethical Considerations: This research adheres to ethical standards by ensuring proper citation and acknowledgment of all sources, maintaining transparency and integrity in the research process.
Funding: No external funding was received for this research; it is based solely on the author’s academic work and findings derived from the thesis.
Conflict of Interest: The author declares no conflicts of interest, fully committing to the principles of impartiality and objectivity throughout the research.