Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 1، Apeil 2026 ، issue Number 119

Analysis of Surrealist Stylistics and the Ideological Dimensions of the Novel Malakut from a Jungian Perspective

Fatemeh Astaneh Asl , Bahram Parvin Gonabadi (Author in Charge), Mehrangiz Owhadi

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study analyzes Malakut, the novel by Bahram Sadeghi, from the perspective of ideological stylistics, drawing on Carl Jung’s theory of archetypes. Its aim is to examine the representation of surrealist components across three interconnected levels—narrative, linguistic, and ideological—and to explore their relationship with the identity crisis and existential anxiety of the modern Iranian individual. On the narrative level, temporal disruption and the interweaving of dream and reality produce a subjective and hallucinatory structure; on the psychological level, the confrontation between Mr. M.L. and Dr. Hatem reflects the conflict between the conscious ego and the shadow; and on the ideological level, the novel offers a critique of the collapse of rational and ethical values in modern society. Through symbolic language and surrealist imagination, Sadeghi portrays the suffering and solitude of the Iranian individual in confrontation with unconscious forces and historical ruptures.

METHODOLOGY: This research adopts a descriptive–analytical approach, with data collection based on complete induction. First, the data extracted from the text of Malakut are systematically described; subsequently, a stylistic analysis is conducted with particular emphasis on the ideological layer of the work. The purpose of this process is to elucidate how ideology is represented through narrative style and linguistic elements.

FINDINGS: The novel Malakut, by employing surrealist elements such as temporal and spatial disruptions, the dissolution of the boundary between reality and imagination, and the presence of the unconscious, represents the psychological and identity crises of its characters. The narrative also enables a critique of dominant social, ethical, and epistemological discourses, thereby revealing the disintegration of official values. Accordingly, surrealist style in Malakut simultaneously functions as an aesthetic mode, a psychological representation, and an ideological analysis.

CONCLUSION: The analysis of Malakut demonstrates that surrealist style not only contributes to the creation of a psychological and imaginative atmosphere but also serves as an effective tool for critiquing ideological systems and exposing the identity crisis of the modern human being. Temporal and spatial disruptions, symbolic imagery, and the presence of the unconscious reflect both the characters’ psychological turmoil and the collapse of institutionalized values. Thus, the novel offers a multilayered and critical experience from aesthetic, psychological, and ideological perspectives.

Keyword
surrealism , ideological stylistics , Jung , collective unconscious , Malakut