Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 2، May 2026 ، issue Number 120

Study and Analysis of Structuralism in Zoya Pirzad's Stories

Fatemeh Ebrahimpour Fini , Adbolreza Modarres zadeh (Author in Charge), Fatemeh Taheri

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In many existing readings of Pirzad"s works, description of content replaces analysis of the structure and internal relationships of the text, and narrative elements (plot formation, type of conflict, function of events, organization of characters, narrative time and place, point of view, and method of representing dialogue) are reported sporadically, rather than in the form of a coherent structural pattern. The present study, relying on the structuralist and narratological approach, analyzes narrative mechanisms in a selection of Zoya Pirzad"s short stories; the main issue of this research is how "narrative construction" produces meaning in Pirzad"s short stories and what recurring patterns are seen in the organization of the narrative and characters.

METHODOLOGY: The research method is descriptive-analytical and based on close reading of the text; Data were extracted from the text of the stories and categorized and interpreted based on the structural components of the narrative (including plot and event, conflict, direct/indirect characterization, character static/dynamic, narrative time and place, tone and dialogue, and point of view).

FINDINGS: In most of the stories examined, external action is minimal and "event" in the classic plot-forming sense is limited. Instead, the narrative progresses with mental/emotional conflicts, everyday detail, and "repeated situations"; also, the central characters are often women, and characterization is mostly done indirectly (through small actions, spatial details, internal dialogue, and behavioral cues). At the level of construction, the repetition of situations and the juxtaposition of elements of the house/kitchen/window and the present/past tenses create a network of signs that reinforce dominant themes such as everydayness, exhaustion, stillness, and the lived experience of women. For this reason, the realism of the works (with traces of modern sensibility) is based more on the structural organization of the narrative and the distribution of narrative information than on the incident.

CONCLUSION: With minimal external action, Pirzad organizes the narrative world through the construction of repetition, symmetry, and structural similarity (mirror lives, generational roles, similar cycles) and produces a sense of confinement and exhaustion in a structured way.

Keyword
Zoya Pirzad , structuralism , narratology , short story , plot , point of view.