Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 18، number In Volume 10، Junuary 2026 ، issue Number 116

Semiotic Discourse Analysis of Absence-Presence in Mahmoud Dolatabadi’s Novel The Vacancy of Soluch Based on Grams’ Theory

Bita Moslehi , Noorollah Farhadi (Author in Charge)

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mahmoud Dolatabadi’s novel The Vacancy of Saluch is one of the most prominent socio-emotional narratives in contemporary Iranian literature, which expresses the absence of the father of the family as the main core of the narrative. The absence of Saluch is not simply the absence of an individual, but a semantic and emotional construction that puts all family relationships in tension. From the perspective of Grams’s tension semiotics, the narrative discourse moves on the circuit of the conflict between absence and presence, and this continuous movement leads to the production of meaning. In the present study, we intend to examine the semantic and emotional mechanism of Saluch’s absence on his family in the context of the story from the perspective of Grams’s tension semiotics theory and tension discourse.

METHODOLOGY: The research method in this paper is based on the approach of Grams’ tension semiotics in a descriptive-analytical manner and based on library studies in the novel The Vacancy of Saluch.

FINDINGS: The research findings show that the absence of Soluch as the main focus of the narrative in the novel The Vacancy of Soluch is a factor for emotional tension and creating meaning in the story. In Soluch"s absence, Morgan becomes anxious, angry, and disappointed. Soluch"s absence and recalling his memories cause a dynamic process and emotional tension in the course of the story"s narrative.

CONCLUSION: According to the research results, Soluch"s absence affects not only his family but also the entire social structure of the village in terms of a tension process. The value system, social trust, and even economic relations all collapse under the influence of this absence. This absence is not simply an individual phenomenon, but rather a collective and social discourse that tells the story in the context of the problems that have arisen in a colonized society. In this narrative, by removing a character, various emotions and arousals emotionally advance the story"s narrative. The tension discourse in this novel shows how the absence and non-presence of an actor becomes the main factor in creating meaning.

Keyword
Grams. Discursive semantic sign. Saluch's vacancy. tension p