Papers by mahdieh kheradmand
Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature, and Culture, 2026
Burnett's novel, The Secret Garden, offers a compelling exploration of the impact of parental inf... more Burnett's novel, The Secret Garden, offers a compelling exploration of the impact of parental influence on a child's development and the quest for Self. This article analyzes the role of gothic parents in shaping the lives of the protagonists, Mary and Colin, within the context of the novel's gothic elements. The narrative delves into the significance of family dynamics in shaping a child's Self. Drawing on psychological theories and literary analysis, the article highlights the pivotal role of good enough parents in providing a nurturing environment for children to develop their 'True Self'. Conversely, the absence or inadequacy of parental guidance leads to a gothic childhood fraught with loneliness, rejection, and a fragmented Self. By examining the interplay of gothic elements and parental influence in The Secret Garden, this study offers valuable insights into the complexities of childhood experiences and the enduring quest for Self.
This article examines the portrayal of zombie children in M. R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gif... more This article examines the portrayal of zombie children in M. R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gifts (2014) as metaphors for marginalized immigrant populations, framed through theories of monstrosity and postcolonialism. The novel reflects contemporary Western anxieties surrounding immigration, cultural identity, and societal fears of the 'Other.' The zombie children, or "Hungries," embody societal fears, fantasies, and aspirations, symbolizing broader issues such as death, memory loss, and cultural displacement. The analysis highlights how these children are confined, exploited, and denied self-discovery through manipulative education, mirroring the systemic oppression faced by immigrant children in Western societies. The treatment of the zombie children is linked to real-world policies, such as the confinement of immigrant children during Donald Trump's administration, illustrating the dehumanization of those perceived as different. Through the protagonist Melanie, a hybrid child who challenges traditional notions of humanity, the novel critiques societal prioritization of fear over empathy and acceptance. Melanie's struggle for identity and belonging underscores the broader themes of hybridity and resistance, while the Hungries symbolize the consequences of systemic marginalization. Ultimately, the essay argues that The Girl with All the Gifts uses the figure of the zombie child to expose the ethical failures of a society that dehumanizes the 'Other' and to advocate for a more inclusive and empathetic world.
I See Myself in Your Eyes: Good Enough Mother as a Nun or an Amazon
: This article aims to compare mother figures in three novels: The Mysterious of Udolpho (1794), ... more : This article aims to compare mother figures in three novels: The Mysterious of Udolpho (1794), Villette (1853), and The Magic Toyshop (1967) based on Winnicott’s theory on mothers. These Gothic novels belong to three different centuries; therefore they reveal different types of mother figures in different times. Winnicott believes that the mother’s role is crucial for the child’s future, especially daughters, so the mother-child bond can help the child to create her true ‘self’. As a result, this article seeks to answer the raised questions based on Winnicott’s good-enough-mother in the girl’s life: which century does introduce the best good enough mother? And in which century girls can reject the Gothic life? By making a proper environment for her daughter a good-enough-mother helps her daughter to make her true self. Besides, the Gothic novel exposes mother as a helper to daughter and her efforts to save daughter from the Gothic future. Studying Winnicott's theory reveals that various elements define a good-enough-mother such as helping her daughter to make her true self, aiding the girl to have progress, and erasing horror and terror from her future. Based on Winnicott’s we found out the nineteenth-century Villette introduces the best example of a gothic good-enough-mother. Keywords: Amazons, nuns, mother, daughter, family, gothic
Akshara: An International Refereed Research Journal of English Literature and Language, 2022
The article aims to review Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" based on Jungian theorie... more The article aims to review Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" based on Jungian theories on active imagination and shadow. Since the poem's technique is a dramatic monologue, we know that both the reader and speaker of the poem are imaginary and they have nothing to do with the poet. Therefore the identity of the 'you' and 'I' are not clear and they raise serious arguments. Even the main reason for their quest has never been mentioned in the poem. The poem tells us that something is wrong with Prufrock and the balance of his psyche has been destroyed. The 'you and I' have no choice except to find the responsible person for this inner chaos. Critics have employed various approaches to clarify their identities. One of the approaches to the poem is a psychological one which brings us to the hidden layers of the poem. Thus, we seek to address the raised questions, who are 'you' and 'I'?, and what is responsible for the loneliness and imbalance of Prufrock's psyche? Through active imagination, Prufrock erases the border between conscious and unconscious and enters the depths of his unconscious and finds his shadow that is responsible for all his misery.
Millennium Journal of English Literature, Linguistics and Translation
This article aims to compare mother figures in three novels: The Mysterious of Udolpho (1794), Vi... more This article aims to compare mother figures in three novels: The Mysterious of Udolpho (1794), Villette (1853), and The Magic Toyshop (1967) based on Winnicott’s theory on mothers. These Gothic novels belong to three different centuries; therefore they reveal different types of mother figures in different times. Winnicott believes that the mother’s role is crucial for the child’s future, especially daughters, so the mother-child bond can help the child to create her true ‘self’. As a result, this article seeks to answer the raised questions based on Winnicott’s good-enough-mother in the girl’s life: which century does introduce the best good enough mother? And in which century girls can reject the Gothic life? By making a proper environment for her daughter a good-enough-mother helps her daughter to make her true self. Besides, the Gothic novel exposes mother as a helper to daughter and her efforts to save daughter from the Gothic future. Studying Winnicott's theory reveals that various elements define a good-enough-mother such as helping her daughter to make her true self, aiding the girl to have progress, and erasing horror and terror from her future. Based on Winnicott’s we found out the nineteenth-century Villette introduces the best example of a gothic good-enough-mother.
Keywords: Amazons, nuns, mother, daughter, family, gothic, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Bronte, Angela Carter, Winnicott, Villette,, The Magic Toyshop, The Mysterious of Udolpho
اسکار فینگل اُ فلاهرتی ویلز وایلد شاعر، رمان نویس و نمایشنامه نویس ایرلندی تبار، نمایشنامه ی "اهم... more اسکار فینگل اُ فلاهرتی ویلز وایلد شاعر، رمان نویس و نمایشنامه نویس ایرلندی تبار، نمایشنامه ی "اهمیت ارنست بودن" را به کارگردانی جرج الکساندردر سال 1895 به روی صحنه برد. نمایشنامه ی "اهمیت ارنست بودن یک کمدی مبتذل برای آدم های جدی" پنجمین اثر اسکار وایلد و جز اولین نمایشنامه هایی است که ویژگی های تئاتر مدرن را درون خود جای داده است. این نمایشنامه المان های تئاتر دوره ی ویکتوریا را با ویژگی های تئاتر مدرن ترکیب و به صورت نوینی به نمایش گذاشته است. در این نمایشنامه وایلد موضوعات روزمره ی مردم عادی مانند ازدواج را به صورتی کاملا مدرن و سمبولیک به سخره می گیرد.
این نمایشنامه در زیر مجموعه ی تئاتر پوچی، نمایش خنده دار (Farce)، کمدی هزل آمیز (comedy of manners) و نمایش تقلید مسخره آمیز (Parody) قرار می گیرد. در این مقاله، نگارنده سعی دارد تا به بررسی انواع متنوع سبک های تئاتر در این نمایشنامه ، بپردازد.
Akshara, Volume 14, 2022 by mahdieh kheradmand
Akshara , 2022
The article aims to review Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" based on Jungian theorie... more The article aims to review Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" based on Jungian theories on active imagination and shadow. Since the poem's technique is a dramatic monologue, we know that both the reader and speaker of the poem are imaginary and they have nothing to do with the poet. Therefore the identity of the 'you' and 'I' are not clear and they raise serious arguments. Even the main reason for their quest has never been mentioned in the poem. The poem tells us that something is wrong with Prufrock and the balance of his psyche has been destroyed. The 'you and I' have no choice except to find the responsible person for this inner chaos. Critics have employed various approaches to clarify their identities. One of the approaches to the poem is a psychological one which brings us to the hidden layers of the poem. Thus, we seek to address the raised questions, who are 'you' and 'I'?, and what is responsible for the loneliness and imbalance of Prufrock's psyche? Through active imagination, Prufrock erases the border between conscious and unconscious and enters the depths of his unconscious and finds his shadow that is responsible for all his misery.
Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023 by mahdieh kheradmand
Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023
Daydreaming has been playing a crucial role in our lives. It is interwoven with life and has no w... more Daydreaming has been playing a crucial role in our lives. It is interwoven with life and has no way of omission from daily life. Daydreaming protects us from agony, disappointment and fear which are caused by the outside world. McGuire's Every Heart a Doorway (2016) reveals how daydreaming reflects in our lives. Via daydreaming, her protagonists take shelter from society's demands and brutality. Worth noting each society has to keep its integrity, in this regard it makes individuals sacrifice their true Self for society's integrity. McGuire illustrates how her protagonists hide in their daydreaming to keep their 'Self', however, their daydreaming sounds quite real to them as a result they stop at nothing to reach their worlds back. In this respect, this article seeks to explore and unpack the true identity of the second worlds, the meaning of doors, and the main ground of children's passion for returning to their worlds.
Akshara, Vol. 17, 2025 by mahdieh kheradmand
Akshara, vol. 17, 2025
This article examines the portrayal of zombie children in M. R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gif... more This article examines the portrayal of zombie children in M. R. Carey's The Girl with All the Gifts (2014) as metaphors for marginalized immigrant populations, framed through theories of monstrosity and postcolonialism. The novel reflects contemporary Western anxieties surrounding immigration, cultural identity, and societal fears of the 'Other.' The zombie children, or "Hungries," embody societal fears, fantasies, and aspirations, symbolizing broader issues such as death, memory loss, and cultural displacement. The analysis highlights how these children are confined, exploited, and denied self-discovery through manipulative education, mirroring the systemic oppression faced by immigrant children in Western societies. The treatment of the zombie children is linked to real-world policies, such as the confinement of immigrant children during Donald Trump's administration, illustrating the dehumanization of those perceived as different. Through the protagonist Melanie, a hybrid child who challenges traditional notions of humanity, the novel critiques societal prioritization of fear over empathy and acceptance. Melanie's struggle for identity and belonging underscores the broader themes of hybridity and resistance, while the Hungries symbolize the consequences of systemic marginalization. Ultimately, the essay argues that The Girl with All the Gifts uses the figure of the zombie child to expose the ethical failures of a society that dehumanizes the 'Other' and to advocate for a more inclusive and empathetic world.
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Papers by mahdieh kheradmand
Keywords: Amazons, nuns, mother, daughter, family, gothic, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Bronte, Angela Carter, Winnicott, Villette,, The Magic Toyshop, The Mysterious of Udolpho
این نمایشنامه در زیر مجموعه ی تئاتر پوچی، نمایش خنده دار (Farce)، کمدی هزل آمیز (comedy of manners) و نمایش تقلید مسخره آمیز (Parody) قرار می گیرد. در این مقاله، نگارنده سعی دارد تا به بررسی انواع متنوع سبک های تئاتر در این نمایشنامه ، بپردازد.
Akshara, Volume 14, 2022 by mahdieh kheradmand
Ars Artium, Vol. 11, 2023 by mahdieh kheradmand
Akshara, Vol. 17, 2025 by mahdieh kheradmand