Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films — Edexcel A-Level Persian
Test yourself on Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films with PEARSON EDEXCEL A-Level practice questions.
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Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films explained
This row identifies the prescribed modernist novella بوف کور (The Blind Owl) by صادق هدایت (Sadegh Hedayat), published in 1937, for Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Persian (9PN0).
Read the full explanation
The novella is a landmark of Persian surrealist fiction, presenting the interior monologue of an isolated pen-case painter in Rayy. Study focuses on the cyclical two-part structure, recurring motifs (the old man, the duality of the ethereal woman and the vulgar wife or lakkateh, the cypress tree, the wine flagon), and the narrator descent into delirium. Learners analyse Hedayat critique of the materialist rabble (rajaleh-ha), themes of alienation and death, and his innovative use of dreamlike imagery and unreliable first-person narration.
Your focus
- State the title, author, 1937 publication date, and modernist novella form of بوف کور as prescribed in the specification.
- Analyse the two-part cyclical structure, recurring symbols (cypress, pen-case, ancient wine flagon), and psychological themes of alienation.
- Evaluate Sadegh Hedayat literary techniques, surrealist imagery, and critique of societal hypocrisy (the rajaleh-ha).
Appendix 1: Prescribed literary texts and films exam tips
Marking Points
- Demonstrate thorough knowledge of the novella plot, cyclical two-part structure, and the relationship between the narrator and the ethereal woman.
- Analyse key motifs and symbols, including the pen-case paintings, the cypress tree, opium hallucinations, the ancient wine flagon (koozeh), and dismembered body imagery.
- Discuss central themes of existential alienation, psychological disintegration, death, and loneliness in 1930s Iran.
- Evaluate Hedayat critique of conformist materialist society (the rajaleh-ha) versus the tortured artist isolation.
- Assess Hedayat literary style, combining Persian folk idioms, Kafkaesque surrealism, and unreliable first-person narration.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Anchor your textual analysis in specific recurring motifs and key Persian terms such as rajaleh-ha (the rabble) and the lakkateh (the vulgar wife).
- 💡Trace how Hedayat blurs the boundaries between reality, nightmare, and opium-induced delusion throughout the painter monologue.
- 💡Structure analytical paragraphs around how literary techniques (cyclical motifs, unreliable narrator) reinforce the theme of alienation.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the novella as a conventional linear realist mystery: The narrative is deliberately cyclical, surreal, and psychological. Correction: Focus on subjective perception, memory distortion, and recurring dream-motifs.
- Confusing the two parts of the book: Correction: Distinguish between the dreamlike Rayy setting of the pen-case painter in Part 1 and the physical domestic nightmare in Part 2.
- Misattributing the author or date: Memorise Sadegh Hedayat and 1937.