A Philosophical Explanation of Saedi's Fear and Trembling Based on the Modernist Criteria of the Novel

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Professor of Persian Language and Literature Department, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iarn

Abstract

The novel Fear and Trembling (1968) by Gholamhossein Sa’edi is a Philosophical-psychological work written during the rise of modernism in Iran. Signs of Modernism can be observed in this novel. It was written to portray the psychological, social, and economic conditions of Iran’s underprivileged regions, and its central theme is the position of the marginalized human being in the modern world. According to Sa’edi, scientific, economic, and hygienic poverty led to fear and anxiety among the lower classes in Iran’s deprived areas. Fear causes people to become frightened of imaginary beings, and society, out of fear of poverty and hunger, falls into cultural death. The aim of this paper is to philosophically explain the causes and consequences of fear of poverty and hunger from Sa’edi’s perspective in this novel. Alongside this, the function of certain signs of Modernism is also analyzed. The research method is analytical-descriptive, occasionally incorporating interpretative criteria. The findings reveal that poverty, helplessness in fulfilling instinctive needs, and fear of hunger and death lead to a state that can be interpreted as alienation. In this novel, fear is portrayed as a psychological state rather than a philosophical concept. Some characters die from fear, while those who survive turn into puppet-like figures suitable only for satirical stories. Thus, the novel features characters whose social experience is at the level of the dawn of creation, and their ignorance is laughable. 

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References

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 19, Issue 52 - Serial Number 52
Articles
No. 52 Autumn 2025
November 2025
Pages 653-672

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