Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Ph.D.in persian language and literature and a researcher at the research , Education and Conculting Center Of charmo University , Kurdistan Region Of Iraq , najmadin.rostam@chu.edu.iq
2 faculty oflanguages and humanities , language and literature, charmo university, chamchamal , kurdistan region of iraq.
Abstract
The role and identity of the narrator, as the primary agent of intertextual narratives, have undergone significant transformations throughout the history of narrative discourse. In classical and even neoclassical works, the narrator sometimes occupies an ambiguous position, while at other times, they are distinctly defined, maintaining ontological and epistemological stability and authority. However, in modern narratives, this stability and authority have been considerably diminished. The narrator engages in storytelling with hesitation and isolation, yet they remain ontologically present despite experiencing personal despair and profound epistemological uncertainties. With the emergence of postmodern narratives and the dominance of concepts such as the reauthorization of metanarratives, the "death of the author," and the shifting subject of representation—often manifesting through the explicit revelation of the writing process—the narrator's identity is disclosed in two distinct modes of subordination: explicit and implicit. This present study identifies key manifestations of narrative subordination in postmodern fiction. First, the narrator's ostensible claim to authority paradoxically functions as a form of subjugation. Second, a broader, more pervasive form of subjugation emerges, characterized by epistemological uncertainties, contradictions, and deliberate ontological instability. While this condition deviates from prior experiences of seemingly stable narrative structures, it may offer a more realistic and democratic approach to both epistemology and ontology. This study employs a descriptive-analytical methodology. Its corpus consists of two prominent Persian postmodern novels: Azadeh Khanum and Her Author by Reza Baraheni and Goli Kenar Atash by Moniro Ravanipour.
Keywords
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