Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Master of Arts in Children and Adolescent Literature, Payam Noor University, Shahrekord, Iran

2 Associate Prof of Persian Language and Literature, Payamnoor Universiety Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Lecturer Department of Persian Language and Literature, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

 Puberty represents a pivotal developmental stage in human life, characterized by extensive physical, psychological, and social changes, serving as a transitional phase between childhood and adulthood. This stage plays a fundamental role in shaping adolescents’ individual and social identity and guides their lived experiences. Young adult literature, particularly novels, functions as a cultural and educational tool with the capacity to depict these experiences and offer strategies for navigating the challenges of puberty. When adolescents engage in empathetic identification with characters, they directly confront issues of growth and identity formation. Despite the critical importance of this topic, a systematic analysis of puberty in Iranian adolescent literature—especially from comparative and gendered perspectives—has received limited scholarly attention. The present study focuses on two prominent novels of the 2010s:  The Clown by Hoda Hadadi and Call Me Ziba by Farhad Hassanzadeh, examining the representation of various dimensions of puberty in female adolescent characters. These two characters occupy different stages of adolescence and undergo distinct psychological, social, and familial experiences. Their age and developmental differences provide a basis for a comparative study of the pubertal process, illustrating how male and female authors, through differing narrative approaches, depict the growth and identity formation of adolescent girls.
 

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