Methods of Representing Implied Author and Implied Reader in GavKhuni and its Film Adaptation

Implied author and implied reader are components of a narrative structure, playing a crucial role in illuminating hidden elements within a text. Therefore, studying these elements in literary works can expose the underlying layers of narration and open up new critical outlooks to the readers. Furthermore and in cases of cinematic adaptations, it explains whether this was the novel or the film that has managed to unravel narrative complexities of the other medium more successfully and better facilitate audience understanding. The novel GavKhuni and its film adaptation are among works in which the plot is not causal, but internal and fluid. Thus, the reader has to decode textual evidence in order to understand how conceptions and viewpoints are formed in characters. Afkhami’s adaptation of GavKhuni is totally loyal and all elements of the story are faithfully mirrored in the film. However, Afkhami has made use of these elements to present his own ideological concepts. Repetition is a method that both the author and the director have used to transfer their ideas to the audience. Using a descriptive-analytical methodology and a narratological and inter-disciplinary approach, the present research attempts to analyze the ways in which implied author and reader are represented in the novel and the film. Since the author and the reader of each era are thrown into their work and new meanings are discovered in fulfillment of their expectations, thus the audience of this novel and film would discover new meanings from out of the narrative text of GavKhuni as well as its adaptation.