The Study of "Narrative Time" and its Relationship with the Element of "Suspension" Element in the Novel "Fereydoun Had Three Sons" Written by Abbas Maroufi Based on Gérard Genette'sTheory

The current study has investigated the narrative time and the relationship with the suspension element by library research method and analytically based on Gérard Genette's theory. The novel “Freydoun had three sons” is mainly narrated by a psychotic character and the events are unfolded in an irregular, complicated and vague way. This novel somehow begins at the end and the reader perceives the fate of many characters and events from the very beginning. Such components leads to and expands suspension in the characters, time, place and events of the novel in a way that the overall interpretation of the plot requires an examination of its timeliness. The present study based on Genet’s theory concerns the narrative time and its relationship with the suspension element. The results show that in the order section, “retrospective” is of high frequency. This retrospective gradually eliminates the use of suspension. The foreshadowing in the first pages of the book also encourages the author to pursue the reason of the happenings with more motivation. The pace of the narration of this novel is greatly reduced due to the use of repeated descriptions that include characters, atmospheres, and the narrator's illusions. Descriptive pauses are aimed at expanding suspense and in some cases creating artistic and poetic pleasure. By omitting and summarizing some events, Abbas Maaroofi has avoided marginalization and accelerated the pace of the narration. Regarding the frequency, it can be said that the repetition of some incidents and events was due to the importance of the topic and attracting the reader's attention. The most important of these repetitions is the feeling of sadness, loneliness and psychosis of the central character of the story.