Analysis of Who Will Believe, Rostam as a Romantic Work

Who Will Believe, Rostam is Roohangiz Sharifian’s second novel following Silk Coil. This story explores unconventional love, narrated by an Iranian immigrant woman named Partov Sanaat Jamshidi. The protagonist, who is called Shoura, Shirin, and Shourideh, leaves Iran after marrying Jahan but never forgets the memories of her homeland. The nostalgic lens through which the main character views her past reflects the author’s perspective, imbuing the novel with a romantic tone. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical approach and utilizing a library-based research method, aims to identify romantic elements within the novel. In the new romantic movement in Persian literature—distinct from earlier periods—female writers play a significant role. Finally, this essay demonstrates that most characteristics of Romanticism are present in Who Will Believe, Rostam. Consequently, the novel can be classified as a Romantic work within the context of modern Persian literature.
Introduction:
The Romantic movement was organized in Europe toward the end of the 18th century, but it was introduced to Iran during the Constitutional Revolution. Notably, similarities exist between classical Persian literature and Romanticism, including an emphasis on imagination, emotions, and individualism. In the contemporary period, Persian writers have produced numerous romantic works, particularly in the form of poetry. Masoud Jafari, in "Evolution of Romanticism in Iran", identified three periods of Persian romanticism: 1880–1920, 1920–1945, and 1950–1970. However, a new romantic movement emerged in the 1990s and 2000s. After the end of the Iran-Iraq War, many changes emerged in Iranian lifestyles. Women assumed new roles in society, urbanization expanded, new waves of immigration began, and social conditions evolved. These developments contributed to the rise of a new romantic movement in Persian literature.
This new flow differed from earlier ones in two key ways. First, women played a pivotal role in it; second, during this period, novels and short stories took precedence over poems as the main forms of romantic expression. The analysis of Who Will Believe, Rostam is significant because it was written by a woman and contains many romantic elements. Additionally, it is considered an important example of immigration literature. The main character, Shoura, is a passionate woman who shares a close friendship with a poor boy named Rostam. After marrying Jahan, Shoura leaves Iran but never forgets Rostam or her homeland. She narrates her life by recalling these memories. Her emotional and nostalgic perspective allows us to categorize this novel as a romantic work. Shoura’s adventure shares similarities with the writer’s own life. It is important to note that women are often more drawn to romanticism, as there are connections between romanticism and feminism.
Conclusion:
We have identified and categorized twelve elements of romanticism, all of which are present in Who Will Believe, Rostam. Love -the love between shoura and Rostam and several other love stories- is the warp and woof of the novel. The narrator pays close attention to emotions, to the point that she is accused of indiscretion. In fact, a tendency toward introversion appears in many of the characters. Focusing on women and their stories is a main feature of the novel, and the narrator generally presenting an unflattering portrayal of the male characters.
In the post-war years, the idea of feminism became widespread in Iran, challening the entrenched patriarchy hegemony. This perspective is clearly reflected in Sharifian’s works. On the other hand, living abroad allows the narrator to reveal certain aspects, such as her relationship with Czech. Living abroad also causes Shoura, who is always immersed in her imagination, to look into the past. Nostalgia, which holds great significance in immigration literature, crystallizes the central framework of the novel. In addition, the writer describes a longing for her homeland, alongside a desire to return to the nature and escape from modernity. Based on these points, Who Will Believe, Rostam can be classified as a romantic work. Although critics classified Romantic in the Persian literature into three periods, with the last period referring to the 1940s, we can identify a new flow of romanticism in the post-war years. The reappearance of women writers, moving away from the ideological atmosphere, the spread of individualism, the transition from traditional society, the immigration, and a refuge in nostalgia are the most important causes of this transformation.