Typology of Representations of Love in Farhad Hassanzadeh's Adolescent Novels Based on Robert Sternberg: A Case Study of the Novels This Blog Is for Sale and The Scorpions of Bambak Ship

Ayoob Moradi
Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
 
Sara Chalak
Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, East Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
 
 
Introduction
Adolescence is a critical period in the process of growing up through which fundamental changes happen in the biological, mental, emotional and social aspects of individuals which result in the appearance of emotions such love and permanent hatred, sensitivity to humiliation and praise and feeling beautiful or ugly. In adolescents, love, in the traditional meaning of feeling attracted toward a person of the other sex, is an inevitable event due to their hormonal and bodily changes. Feelings of love that appear in this period are usually associated with physical aspects and are very different from love in adults in their quality and type. Feelings in the adolescence period are generally sensational, temporary, destructive and powerful; and the most important feeling, love, is not an exception. Therefore, it is necessary to use various tools to make adolescents prepared for the right encounter with these feelings. Literature is one of these tools; therefore, one of the main duties of the writers of adolescent literature is to introduce the characteristics and consequences of love to their readers. Paying attention to psychological points of view is a useful way to attain this goal. As a case study, the researchers try to investigate the manner of representation of love in the works of Farhad Hassanzadeh, one of the most well-known writers of Iran, based on the theories of the psychologist Robert Sternberg.
 
Methodology, Review of Literature and Purpose
This research is conducted with a descriptive-analytical method based on Sternberg’s model of the structuralism of love. Sternberg believes that in all love relations we deal with three basic elements: passion, intimacy and decision-commitment. He argues that a balanced and complete love has all the three elements; but this balance is often hard to maintain. The absence of one or two elements results in the following situations, none of which can be regraded a complete love:
The absence of love: This happens when none of the elements are present in the relationship, or they do not have the necessary intensity.
Friendship: This situation is created when only the element of intimacy is present in the relationship.
Lovesickness: In this situation, only the element of passion is present. The individual does not have anything to offer in the relationship except the fierce emotion which is akin to madness.
Empty love: This is a kind of relationship in which there is no element except decision and commitment.
Romantic love: This type of love is the result of the combination of the two elements of passion and intimacy. The result is a warm and intimate relationship accompanied by physical pleasures which creates trust and intimacy between the two sides of the relationship.
Friendly love: This is a type of relationship which contains both commitment and intimacy.
Foolish love: The type of love which is passionate and obsessive as a result of combining the two elements of passion and decision-commitment.
Complete love: The presence of all the three elements in a relationship results in complete love.
 
Discussion
The period of adolescence and puberty is one of the most important periods of life due to fundamental changes that happen in human beings. Physical and hormonal changes are accompanied by emotional signs inside the individual and bring about unknown feelings for the adolescents. These emotions are so intensive that if the individual is not able to manage them, he/she will most probably make big mistakes which affect his present and future life. One such important change is the completion of sexual organs and the appearance of sexual desires which motivates the individual toward making relationship with the other sex and consequently, experiencing feelings of love. These situations and emotions are completely new for the adolescents; therefore, it is the duty of parents and teachers to educate adolescents about them.
Farhad Hassanzadeh has written some stories around the subject of emotional relationships between adolescents. Two of these stories, This Blog Is for Sale and The Scorpions of Bambak Ship, are investigated in this study using the classification of love relationship proposed by Robert Sternberg.
In adolescence, due to physical, hormonal and emotional characteristics of the period, the type of love is usually foolish, lovesickness or romantic. In foolish love only two elements of passion and decision are present. Affected by sexual desire, the adolescent is drawn toward the physical attractions of the other party and decides very quickly to start and continue the relationship.
Lovesickness is also a type of love which only has the element of passion. The characteristics of this type of love in Sternberg’s model is compatible with emotional feelings in adolescence period.
Romantic love, regarding its two basic elements, intimacy and passion, is also highly compatible with relationships in adolescence and youth. This happens when the two sides have a friendly and intimate behavior accompanied by physical passion, but they do not show any sign of decision or acceptance of commitment toward each other.
One-way love, which appears as the lack of love in one side of the relationship and the foolish love in the other side, is more prominent than other types of love in both stories by Hassanzadeh.
 
Conclusion
The findings of this research reveal that love is more completely represented in The Scorpions of Bambak Ship than in This Blog Is for Sale. In the former story, we deal with two different relationships. After undergoing some experiences, the hero of the story attains a good understanding of love relations which leads him toward a correct choice. In the course of this story, Kholo, who is obsessed with childish fantasies about love relations under the influence of popular films of his period, finally understands that the basic condition for a healthy relationship is the existence of common class and cultural elements. Significant positive messages such as the necessity of completely understanding the personalities of the two sides of the love relations as well as avoiding sudden and emotional decisions in these relations are highlighted in this story which are valuable for the emotional maturity of the adolescents.
 
Keywords: Robert Sternberg’s model, sexual maturity, emotional maturity, adolescent novel, love
 
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