The Representation of Gender in Novel Discourse (1996-2005)

This article traces the way women are represented in three novels written by women during the Reform Government 1375-1384/1996-2005. The most important characteristic of these novels is the internal dialogue of the narrator. This phenomenon helps to penetrate the layers of the female mind and to reach the inner world of women. This is a new phenomenon in the Iranian novel and our aim is to know how it is represented. How far does the mind of the women in these novels correspond to the common paternalistic culture? These novels are analyzed from three different angles, description, explanation and interpretation. The results show that the main characters of the novels have two images of themselves. They begin by acting in accordance to traditional culture and everything appears natural to them but midway they encounter external contradictions and events which upset their lives. They face internal chaos and disturbances and begin to think about the world around them and manage to build a different life for themselves which is very different to the traditional world they lived in.