The use of

Joudavi, Hossein; Mahmoodi, Mohammad Ali; Mashhadi, Mohammad Amir

doi:10.30465/copl.2026.51666.4271

The use of "time" in Abu Torab Khosravi's trilogy according to Bergson and Deleuze

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Hossein Joudavi ¹

Mohammad Ali Mahmoodi ²

Mohammad Amir Mashhadi ³

¹ Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan

² Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan

³ Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan

10.30465/copl.2026.51666.4271

Abstract

This study examines the application of ‘time’ in Abūtārb Khosravī's trilogy—comprising Asfār-e Kātebān, Rud-e Rāvī and Malakān-e ‘Azāb from the perspective of the philosophies of Henri Bergson and Gilles Deleuze. Bergson and Deleuze conceive of time not as a quantitative and linear concept, but as a qualitative and fluid phenomenon in which the past and present intermingle without distinct boundaries. This perspective significantly aligns with the narrative structure of Khosravī's trilogy, where time is represented in a non-linear and multi-layered manner. The research method employed in this study is library-based, grounded in description and analysis. The main finding of this research indicates that the non-linear narrative structure, techniques such as temporal regressions, the interplay of memory and reality, and the repetition of events in Khosravī's trilogy are not only consistent with the temporal theories of Bergson and Deleuze but also constitute an objective literary and narrative representation of those very philosophical concepts. This theoretical and practical congruence has resulted in the creation of a narrative in which time acts as an active and constructive force in shaping the fluid identity of characters, the fragmented structure of reality, and a dynamic understanding of memory. Consequently, this research demonstrates that Khosravī's trilogy can be regarded as the objective embodiment of Bergsonian "duration" and Deleuzian "Aionic time" within the form of the Persian novel.

Keywords

Bergson

Deleuze

Abu Torab Khosravi

Duration

Aionic Time

Image-Time

Subjects