Techniques for Creation of Verbal and Situational Satire in the Novel "The NikAkhtar Family" by "Iraj Pezeshkzad"

Iraj Pezeshkzad is a prominent figure in contemporary Iranian satirical literature who depicts the cultural and behavioral contradictions of society through a realistic and critical lens. His novel, The NikAkhtar Family, provides a suitable context for studying the linguistic and narrative mechanisms of humor. The primary objective of this research is to elucidate how humor is constructed in this work by examining verbal and situational contrasts. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, this study extracts and categorizes humor-creating techniques at two levels: verbal and situational. Statistical findings indicate that in the verbal humor category, the techniques of intertextual citation/allusion, exaggeration and irony exhibit the highest frequency, forming the core pillars of the author’s satirical style. By utilizing intertextual capacities and colloquial language, Pezeshkzad highlights the gap between the characters’ subjective perceptions and objective realities. Regarding situational humor, the findings suggest that the comedy is primarily rooted in the incongruity of character with time and place and behaviors inconsistent with social status. This research demonstrates how Pezeshkzad, by synthesizing classical rhetorical traditions with modern dramatic structures, succeeds in creating a multi-layered satire that moves beyond mere entertainment to critique identity and moral crises in exile.