A Naturalistic Criticism of “Shab-e Howl” with Emphasis on Stream of Consciousness

“Shab-e Howl” is the only novel by Hormoz Shahdadi which employs stream of consciousness technique under the influence of intellectuals in post-Constitutional period. The author had previously published articles and short stories whose ideas and approaches can be traced in this novel. The naturalistic atmosphere of the novel is reflected in its dialogues, the characters’ behaviors and thoughts, and also the names of Western and contemporary Iranian writers mentioned in the work. In the meantime, the writer made use of stream of consciousness technique in the novel. Now the question is whether or not such a technique has anything to do with naturalistic thoughts. This paper initially addresses the roots of naturalism in the West and Iran, enumerating general naturalistic features of the novel. Then, it analyzes the impacts of stream of consciousness technique on the story’s development, pointing to opportunities and obstacles the writer faces following the employment of the technique along with textual evidence.