Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Assistant professor in Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Iran, Tehran
2 Assiatant professor, Department of Arabic language and literature, farhangian university, tehram, iran.
Abstract
Emotional Intelligence (EI), first conceptualized by Daniel Goleman, refers to the ability to recognize and manage both personal and social emotions. This concept, encompassing the dimensions of self-awareness, self-management, self-motivation, social awareness, and relationship management, serves as an effective tool for analyzing the psychological layers of characters in literary works. Accordingly, this study employs a descriptive-analytical approach to examine the dimensions of emotional intelligence (EQ) based on Goleman’s theory in two outstanding novels: Cheshmhaayash (Her Eyes) by Bozorg Alavi and Ra’aytu Fima Yara al-Na’im (I Saw What the Sleeper Sees) by Naguib Mahfouz. The necessity of this research stems from the prominent status of these two novels in Persian and Arabic literature, as well as from the potential of emotional intelligence theory to bridge psychology and literary criticism by providing an interdisciplinary analytical framework. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to conduct a comparative analysis of the dimensions of emotional intelligence in the characters of both novels, and to elucidate its socio-political function in Cheshmhaayash and its existential-identity function in Ra’aytu Fima Yara al-Na’im. The findings indicate that Alavi, in his novel, creates characters shaped by political struggles, while Mahfouz explores the human psyche through a surreal narrative. The characters in Cheshmhaayash primarily employ components of emotional intelligence to advance political aims and resistance, whereas in Ra’aytu Fima Yara al-Na’im, emotional intelligence manifests as an innate and internal capacity enabling the protagonist to confront existential and identity crises. Despite both authors’ reliance on emotional intelligence to deepen the psychological complexity of their characters, their ultimate orientations differ: Alavi emphasizes agency in the external (socio-political) world, whereas Mahfouz focuses on introspection within the internal (individual-existential) realm. This study confirms the efficacy of Goleman’s model in analyzing the deep psychological dimensions of fictional literature across diverse cultural and stylistic contexts.
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