Realistic Novel or Social Document? A Critical Reading of Ale-Ahmad’s The School Principal

“Realism” is a critical term which in its specific sense refers to a literary movement in mid-nineteenth century and in its general sense designates a style of writing that has continued into the contemporary period. The School Principal, a short novel by Jalal Ale-Ahmad, is a characteristic example of realism in its general sense in which the author attempts to represent people and social conditions as they appeared in reality (Iran in the 1950s). The realistic text is like a mirror with a clean surface that merely reflects the realities; however, in the process of reflecting the realities the author should not express his/her social and political views explicitly. Ale-Ahmad violates this important principle, so much so that it can be asserted that various sections of this novel appear rather artificial and of a propagandist nature. Michael Hillmann sees a fundamental flaw in this respect in The School Principal and believes that it remains within the boundaries of social criticism. In its first section, this paper explores the realistic aspects of The School Principal with emphasis on three elements of character, setting and theme. Section two examines Ale-Ahmad’s violation of the principles of realism and argues that adherence to specific social-critical attitudes (especially what he called “Weststruckness”)