«58 Essays on Novel and Spirituality»; An Opening for Reflecting on the Concept of Spirituality and Novel

According to the correspondent of the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Mashhad, Mohammad Ghaem Khani, speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the book «58 Essays on Novel and Spirituality» held at Cheshmeh Delshodegan Bookstore, Branch 1, in Mashhad, said: The formation of the book «58 Essays on Novel and Spirituality» was the result of a process of inquiry and search, because I had realized that there was no common meaning for «spirituality» among writers. In fact, the failure to find this theoretical literature and the existence of this vacuum led to the creation of the present book, and this work is merely an opening and an invitation for reading, thinking, and reflecting.

He said: Around 2012, in one of my storytelling classes, a lady raised a concern: why do young people and teenagers become disenchanted with our own traditions after reading famous works of world fictional literature? I replied that perhaps this happens due to the mood of such novels. She told me, «You, as a writer, should address this issue and its reasons.» In that same class, with the help of some of my writer friends, we selected several literary works as examples and examined those novels in the form of essays.

He said: After writing several essays and addressing this topic, I realized that my friends and I did not agree on «spirituality» and were not in harmony, because no one had looked at «novel» from this angle before. Therefore, none of my friends knew what to pursue when encountering this concept. One had based it on «spiritualism», another on «the absence of meaning in life», and yet another on «the meaningfulness of existence».

«Spirituality» a tangled skein among writers

This writer and literary analyst continued: This lack of consensus on the concept of spirituality among writers led me to think about this issue myself, so it became my own problem. After that, I would discuss issues related to the concept of «spirituality» with my writer friends, who are well-known individuals, and gradually became more involved with this concept, realizing that no one had analyzed this topic in fictional literature either.

The author of the book «Forms of Silence» stated: Gradually, I wrote several Iranian novels and sent them to the book market. After several years, I again sat down with my writer friends to discuss this very concept, and once again, I saw that no common meaning for «spirituality» had yet emerged among writers. Ultimately, everyone, through their analysis of this concept, had arrived at «the meaning of life».

This storytelling instructor expressed: I had talked to many writers and knew that spirituality, from the perspective of many other writers, is not «the meaning of life», so I was still looking for an in-depth exploration. Until one day I realized I had written so disjointedly about this topic that I could view my writings as a book, although in terms of form, that book might not be a collection of articles. But I decided to bring this work to fruition. Based on this, I entrusted several important unexamined works of the world to a few of my writer friends.

«58 Essays on Novel and Spirituality» an opening for reflecting on the concept of spirituality and novel

He considered the formation of «58 Essays on Novel and Spirituality» to be the result of a process of inquiry and search, and clarified: In fact, the failure to find this theoretical literature and the existence of this vacuum led to the creation of the present book. This book neither claims to be a book nor a collection of articles; it is only an opening, a beginning, and an invitation for reading, thinking, and reflecting.

Emptiness and meaninglessness in fictional literature

Mohammad Ghaem Khani, referring to the emptiness and meaninglessness in contemporary fictional literature, stated: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world suddenly faced a vacuum of grand narratives. Due to the ideology of struggle in the Soviet Union, in Third World countries, we witnessed anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist movements, and so on, and for individuals who wanted to show their agency in these countries, these concepts produced meaning.

This writer stated: In Second World countries, concepts such as emptiness and meaninglessness are evident, because the colonial situation of the world does not allow the Third World to think about such things. After the world wars and the impact of the Soviet Union’s presence, people assumed that something greater existed that gave meaning to life.

He added: On the other hand, the challenges faced by the winner of the world war and the existing Cold War created a general heroism. That is, if an individual is an actor, a hero, or has heroism in their life, the probability of falling into the trap of emptiness is low; it is as if the individual is a partner in the heroic act of that hero.

Novel; the epic of the bourgeoisie

He added: In the Cold War, we see this factor returning to the industrial countries themselves and turning into a great force, creating a space for novels, which Hegel considered the «epic of the bourgeoisie», to continue. Novels before the 20th century usually provided a meaningful life for the bourgeois individual, but from the 1950s onwards, many reactions among artists to the issue of emptiness were observed, and from the 1990s, this issue was brought to the general public. They considered war meaningless and wanted to destroy grand narratives and bring up the baselessness of existence and life.

This writer, pointing out that the novel and new cinema were formed in this way, stated: Works by Brecht, Waiting for Godot, Rhinoceros, etc., were born on this basis in the 20th century. But in the midst of all this, there was a meaning: that the individual knew there was nothing behind the war, but the very act of making others aware of this gave meaning to life itself.

No new story in the 21st century

Mohammad Ghaem Khani continued: But in the 21st century, we face a vacuum. The biggest producers of grand narratives have also lost their novelty because everyone believes that no new story exists, and our effort is only to express the same repetitive stories differently. This marks the entry into an era where the only public discourse is this very lack of a new story, meaning there is no particular story behind the lifestyle.

He gave an example: Today, many prominent global brands in technology may not have a particular technical superiority over their rivals, but they have presented themselves to the world in such a way that people feel they experience a different lifestyle by owning that brand, as if their lives gain meaning by having that branded product.

The only remaining grand narrative is «consumption»

This writer, stating that the story of meaningful life was previously a meaningful grand narrative, said: In World War II in America, this issue presented itself as a savior, saying, «We offer democracy to colonized countries.» But now, the only remaining grand narrative is «consumption». In this grand narrative, we don’t gain anything through which we can create a great meaning.

He added: People are now looking for something that gives meaning to their personal lives, but unfortunately, there is no story for achieving this concept now.

Khani said: What I have presented in this book is that more than what is seen as «de-meaning» in novels, we ourselves have breathed into «de-meaning», meaning that de-meaning has become a kind of pose, as if in society, it is fashionable for anyone who reads a book to talk about the emptiness of life!

Building meaning in the industrial world

He continued: Meanwhile, the industrial world has already moved past the issue of emptiness as a grand narrative and has fully accepted that «meaning does not exist, but we must be able to create meaning». Based on this, most major directors and writers involved in this issue have, in recent years, been trying in every way to create meaning and envision a bright future, and it is as if their work is commissioned because their work does not conclude on a hopeful note.

Reviewing spirituality in Frankenstein novel

In another part of this session, Mohsen Khiabani, another writer from Khorasan, who authored one of the essays in this book, examined the spiritual aspects of the novel «Frankenstein». He considered Mary Shelley’s novel one of the most controversial novels in literary history regarding spirituality and stated: The author of this book, Mary Shelley, was associated with secular individuals in her personal life, so since the publication of this work, many disputes have existed regarding the meaning hidden within it.

He referred to two different editions of the book and said: William Godwin, Mary Shelley’s father, was a radical writer with secular views, and her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a feminist philosopher with similar views. Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley’s husband, despite belonging to the Romantic movement, was also a secular individual.

According to Khiabani, Romantics were generally not religious in the true sense of the word, but they had religious inclinations and included a diverse spectrum. Among them, some, like the painter Caspar David Friedrich, were religious artists, while others, like Lord Byron and Coleridge, had different viewpoints. Still others openly denied their connection to spirituality.

This writer said: Percy Shelley was expelled from university due to his sharp and secular notes, but Mary Shelley herself had more balanced views compared to other members of her family.

Khiabani, referring to the 1818 version of the novel Frankenstein, identifies its main theme as a person discovering the secret of life and creating a living, monstrous being. In this version, the main character’s primary responsibility was not accepting responsibility for his creation. However, in another, rarer version, Mary Shelley, by rewriting the book, declared the main character’s sin to be interfering with God’s work.

Khiabani believed that Mary Shelley was able to express her religious beliefs more freely in her other works, such as «The Last Man».

He considered the novel Frankenstein to be highly controversial from a spiritual perspective and clarified: Cinematic and theatrical adaptations of this book place it first in the world in this regard. Each director, with their own style, has offered an interpretation of the original version of the novel. From the first feature-length version in 1917 to the color version and Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 version (the most faithful), and new versions, all have provided a different interpretation of this work.

Khiabani believes that the novel Frankenstein has provided a platform for various writers and directors to adapt it and express their own messages. Referring to Guillermo del Toro’s cinematic version, he said: In this version, more attention is paid to the myth of Prometheus and the Oedipus archetype.

In response to a question about the relationship between novel and spirituality in this work, Khiabani considered the topic complex and stated: Two different versions of the book have influenced this relationship. He emphasized the importance of this novel, referring to the increasing prominence of evolution and the origin of life in modern society.

He raised the question: «If humans can give life and discover the secret of life, will this bring them happiness or not?» Khiabani compared this issue to artificial intelligence, saying that reaching the secret of life can simultaneously be humanity’s success and failure.

Spirituality has an important place throughout human history

According to him, the novel Frankenstein, from this perspective, opens a discussion about giving life, which has been one of the most important religious issues. Spirituality throughout human history has held an important place in opening the discussion about the relationship between creator and created, and it poses the question: «Can man be a creator?»

Mohsen Khiabani continued: This concept itself can somehow be a spirituality, but this book is significant because it says the difference between humans and God is that humans are subdued by their own creation, but God is not.

He continued: Frankenstein also has a very key and famous quote, where Frankenstein’s creature comes and converses with Frankenstein. During this exchange, Mary Shelley addresses the conflict between creator and created. She writes that the creature considers its creator responsible for its miseries and threatens to turn its life into hell. Subsequently, the creator asks his creature, Frankenstein, to obey him.

Khiabani said: This part of the book provides a platform for discussion about spirituality. This confrontation is reminiscent of the theories of theorists and anthropologists who, when faced with emptiness and meaninglessness, point to the lack of human agency and the absence of a clear goal in the future. For this reason, efforts to achieve goals are considered meaningless, and emptiness emerges.