Formalist reading of the theme of "love" in the novels "A Quiet Romance" and "In the Heart of a Hebrew Woman" based on Tomashevsky's theory of themes

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant professor in Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Iran, Tehran

2 Master's student Department of Arabic Language and Literature. Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22111/jllr.2026.52445.3352

Abstract

Love, as one of the most important human emotions constituting the main theme of lyrical literature, has found fertile ground for growth in contemporary Arabic literature, particularly in the contemporary novel. Khawla Hamdi and Nader Ebrahimi are among the Romantic novelists in contemporary Arabic and Persian literature whose writings prominently feature the theme of love and devotion. This subject, from the perspective of literary criticism theorists, especially Boris Tomashevsky, possesses a hierarchical structure of themes (motifs). In this article, to discover the relationship between description and narration, the descriptions within two novels, Fi Qalbi Ontha Ebriyah (In My Heart is a Hebrew Woman) and Yek Asheghaneh-ye Aram (A Quiet Romance), are analyzed using a descriptive-analytical method based on Boris Tomashevsky's theory of thematics (motifs). The study seeks to answer the question: Based on the theme of love, what functions do the free and bound motifs serve in the two novels? The research findings indicate that motifs such as impediments to love, love and character transformation, and love and faith are formed in both works with a purposeful structure and a discursive function. In the Arabic novel, love is intertwined with religious identity, struggle, and faith. In the Persian novel, love

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Journal of Lyrical Literature Researches

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 May 2026

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