Critical Language and Literary Studies

Critical Language and Literary Studies

Spheres of Point of View in Najdi’s “The Day of Horse-Shedding” and Tolstoy’s “Kholstomer” Based on Simpson’s Model

Early Access

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors
Zeinab Sadeghi Sahlabad 1
Mahsa Shirani 2
1 Associate Professor, Department of Russian Language, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Phd in Persian language and literature, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
10.48308/clls.2026.244133.1450
Abstract
This study, drawing on Paul Simpson’s multidimensional narratological framework, offers a comparative analysis of point‑of‑view structures in two animal‑centered narratives: Bijan Najdi’s “The Day of Horse‑Casting” and Leo Tolstoy’s Kholstomer: The Story of a Horse. It examines how choosing a horse as the narrator organizes mechanisms of perception and evaluation, thereby redefining the boundary between human and animal consciousness. Based on Simpson’s model, the analysis focuses on four dimensions of point of view: spatial, temporal, psychological, and ideological. In “The Day of Horse‑Casting,” spatial focalization begins from the horse’s internal, sensory perspective and gradually merges with an omniscient viewpoint, producing a convergent structure in which body and space form a shared mode of perception. The narrative time is fluid and present‑oriented; through temporal compression, it foregrounds the horse’s embodied presence. Psychologically, Najdi’s poetic and sensuous language generates affective and experiential modality. In contrast, Kholstomer is grounded in divergent focalization, where the narrator’s spatial movement accompanies a shift from sensory experience toward moral reflection. Its retrospective and contemplative temporality creates an evaluative distance. Psychologically, the interplay of descriptive realism and personification turns animal consciousness into a vehicle for critiquing human moral and social structures. The findings show that both narratives, through the use of an animal voice, generate innovative modes of perception and storytelling.
Keywords
point of view
The Day of Horse‑Casting
Kholstomer
Paul Simpson
animal narrative
Subjects
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Critical Language and Literary Studies

Early Access, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 04 July 2026