Reading Lolita in Tehran Lesson Plan

Who is Azar’s audience and how does that affect the narrative?

Azar’s audience consists of educated adults in the United States and the West. She is not writing for Iranians or Muslims. This means she has to take time to carefully explain aspects of Islam and Iranian history that she might not have if her audience were different. You might explore with students whether Azar might have had to make decisions about how to present certain events (like Khomeini’s death and the male students who challenge her) in order to appeal to an American audience. Some students may think she might have felt like she had to seem critical of the veil and other aspects of Iranian culture in...