Simin Daneshvar’s “The Selection": Study and Analysis

Abstract

Simin Daneshvar is considered one of the most prominent contemporary writers in Iran. She has gained an exceptional position in contemporary Iranian literature and is considered the lady of the modern Persian novel. She is considered so not only because she is the first woman to write the novel, but also because of the intellectual and social dimensions that her works carry. Her works focus on social issues such as Iranian women’s issues, the class system and its ramifications, and the problems of tribal bigotry in Iran. Simin has relied on real-life situations to write her novels and stories. Such writing has been consistent with real life as she is able to depict the details of the Iranian society in her stories. For example, “Daneshvar is familiar with her society’s issues, circumstances, and the suffering of its members of various social classes. This give us a bleak portrait of women and the marginalized group in Iran at a particult time.” This study deals with one of Simin Daneshvar's short stories titled “Selection” from a collection of short stories called Selection. This story personifies the reality of Iranian society at the time, and the suffering of each individual in the community who criticizes the tribal system, or refuses to acquiesce to it. The story also portrays the society's religious and moral corruption, along with the corruption of public institutions. The study uses the descriptive and analytical approach which is based on describing the phenomenon and then analyzing it to better understand the Iranian society's nature at the time, and its social, tribal, intellectual, and administrative problems. Keywords: Short Story in Iran, Simin Daneshvar, “The selection.”