Analysis of Symbolic Realism in Three Novels by Simin Daneshvar: "Savochon, Wandering Island, and Wandering Captains"

Abstract

As one of the most influential female writers in contemporary Iranian fiction, Simin Daneshvar has always looked at society and its issues with a realistic perspective. This research aims to analyze and examine the components of realism, especially the manifestation of "symbolic realism", in three of Daneshvar's prominent novels, including Souvon, Wandering Island, and The Wandering Captain, and to analyze the realist elements in these works, and to explain how the social, political, and cultural realities of Iran in the middle decades of the twentieth century were reflected from the perspective of this literary school. The research findings show that Daneshvar has combined realism with a symbolic approach with exemplary skill and has been able to portray deeper layers of meaning in her works. In this article, the theoretical foundations of realism and symbolic realism are first explained, and then, citing the text of the three novels in question, the components of this school in characterization, language, description of space, and narrative structure are analyzed.