Representation of gender in the novel: a case study of Alavi and Saedi stories

Bozorg Alavi and Gholamhossein Saedi are prominent Iranian writers who have written novels that have met with public approval. In this research, the stories of "Suitcase" and "The patriarchy" by Bozorgmehr Alavi, "Bill's mourners" and "Glorious soiree" by Saedi have been examined in terms of female characters, their roles, and the possibility of their presence in the society. Considering the progress of Iranian society and the strong presence of women in today's society, writers should align themselves with this new wave and also express the shortcomings and problems of women in their works. It is also necessary to examine the traces and background of this deconstruction (the presence of women in society and their self-employment) in the works of past authors and to estimate its effect. This research, which was conducted with a library study and a descriptive-analytical approach, showed that the role and presence of women in social, political, and cultural fields are more in Alavi's works than in Saedi's works. In Saedi's works, women play a very minor and secondary role and seem to be superstitious and helpless. Maybe only in the book "Glorious soiree" (the funny story of asylum), a powerful woman can be seen but she doesn't play much of a role in the development of the story.