Discourse and Plotting of Historical Events in Three Realist, Modern, and Postmodern Novels

This study is to investigate the ways novel writers use historical events and how different historical events are included in realistic, modern and post-modern novels. To do so, a novel from each of these writing styles was selected, namely “The story of the city”, “Red-white”, and “Dr. Noon Loves His Wife More Than Mosaddegh”. The theoretical framework of this study is premised on Randall’s notion of narrative intelligence and Laclau, E and Mouffe’s discursive analysis. In “The story of the city”, narrative intelligence contributes to determination, selection or removal and further modification of events. In the author's favorite issues, party and ideological discourse has caused the details of the events to be quoted or highlighted, as well as in the cases of disfavor, exclusion and exclusion, and silence have been used more. The author of “Red-white”, took his interests and thematic requirements into account by faking certain historical details, elimination, reduction or exaggeration of certain characters, roles or political movements in the context of events, As to “Dr. Noon Loves His Wife More Than Mosaddegh”, the author uses historical frameworks to write a narrative history, reduce politics and administration of a country to familial affairs and use it as an instance of mindset and performance of politicians.
Introduction
In “The Story of a City,” which follows the realist style of the novel, we encounter numerous signs and narrative elements. However, what gives rise to the formation of the novel and its use of external events is the “nodal point” or “central signifier,” based on silence, resistance, and denial—reflecting the impact of narrative intelligence in plot construction. The author narrates a fragment of history, and his fidelity to historical truth lends credibility to the narrative. In the subjects that interest the author, specific details of events are emphasized or highlighted, while in undesirable cases, rejection, omission, and silence are more frequently employed.
In “Red White”, major historical frameworks are used by the author and key events are revealed to demonstrate that history is a fluid phenomenon encompassing all aspects of human life—it does not belong solely to the past but extends into the future as well. Narrative techniques in representing historical events involve intervention and manipulation, each creating a new version of history. Omissions and selections tied to the “central signifier” serve to reveal the distortion of reality and the transformation of the meaning of history. Depending on the author’s thematic focus, history is subjected to fabrication, omission, reduction, or exaggeration of characters and political roles.
In Dr. Noon Loves His Wife More Than Mosaddegh, the author uses historical frameworks to craft a “fictional history,” deconstructing reality and challenging its fixity. Through an unreliable narrator, he justifies the narrative mode used to recount historical events. To better convey the political and historical atmosphere following the coup, the author employs symbols such as prison, home, bathhouse, torture, and hospital—each carrying negative connotations—to shape the narrative. The author avoids recounting some events that are historically documented, instead selecting and narrating them selectively.
Method
The corpus of this study comprises three novels: "The Story of the City", "Red-White", and "Dr. Noon Loves His Wife More Than Mosaddegh". By examining and selecting novels from different literary styles, this study investigates how historical events are reflected and represented, aiming to demonstrate how the depiction of a historical event in a realist novel differs from its representation in modernist and postmodernist novels. The key events in each novel are recounted based on historical sources related to those events. The study analyzes how these novels represent or reconstruct history by focusing on techniques such as emphasizing particular events, temporal omissions, and the exclusion of certain historical facts.
Discussion
The Story of the City is a realist novel that aims to depict the realities of life by recording the experiences of individuals and communities. The author functions like a historian or reporter, documenting actual events. In contrast, Red-White is a modernist novel characterized by complex and ambiguous characters whose language reflects this ambiguity. The use of stream of consciousness, temporal disarray, and the narration of numerous incoherent events are hallmarks of modernism. In "Dr. Noon Loves His Wife More Than Mosaddegh," the author deconstructs the notion of reality. History is employed not to affirm itself but to be used against itself. Time follows no fixed order—it flows freely between narrative time and event time, a technique uncommon in realist fiction.
Results
In the story of the city, consistent with the realist style, we encounter numerous narrative elements. However, the novel’s structure and use of external events—centered around silence, resistance, and denial—demonstrate the influence of narrative intelligence in shaping the plot. The author recounts a fragment of history, and his fidelity to it lends authenticity to the narrative. Readers of realist fiction expect an accurate representation of reality and factual events; yet, even in such novels, narrative intelligence plays a crucial role in deciding what to include, omit, or modify. The author emphasizes details that interest him, while undesirable elements are rejected or silenced.
In "Red-White", the author employs historical frameworks and significant events to demonstrate that history is fluid and pervasive throughout human life, extending into the future. Narrative techniques manipulate and reshape history, generating new interpretations. Omissions and selections related to the “central signifier” reveal the distortion of reality and the transformation of history’s meaning. Consistent with modernism’s emphasis on critique and re-evaluation, the author challenges conventional beliefs about history through a subjective reading.
In "Dr. Noon Loves His Wife More Than Mosaddegh", the author employs historical frameworks to create a fictionalized history that deconstructs and questions the certainty of truth. Through an unreliable narrator, he justifies this mode of narrating historical events. To evoke the political and historical atmosphere following the coup, he uses symbols such as prison, home, bathhouse, torture, and hospital, each carrying negative connotations. The author deliberately avoids recounting certain historically documented events, choosing instead to narrate them selectively. He reduces the politics and governance of a nation to domestic relationships, presenting them as reflections of the mindsets and behaviors of political figures.