In recent years, proceeding written data based on oral histories has been considered as part of the oral traditions of oral history. The fundamental error of this view is clear when defining the term “oral history”, which is: the act of collecting historical data based on narratives and stories that have been quoted orally. This definition precedes the scientific method of “oral history”, i.e. gathering historical information based on targeted, active and informed interviews.Oral history is fundamentally different from that of oral tradition; oral tradition is a way of transmitting general cultural issues from one generation to another. In different societies oral traditions share some similarities with each other despite the fact that various factors such as race, religion as well as natural and human geography have caused fundamental differences.Oral history, as used currently, refers to the act of collecting evidence and documents, through various scientific methods, mainly active interviewing. Previously, portable voice recorders were commonly used which was employed scientifically and more extensively; thus, it were possible to store the oral evidence. Moreover, the expansion and development of democracy in the modern world spreads the functions of such methods to all classes and strata of civil society. This paper aims to, in addition to revising of oral tradition, to provide further details on its background and functions in different communities. Also an analytical comparison between oral tradition and oral history will be discussed.

Today oral history is one of the most effective and proposed methods for historiography. The method the historical essance of which is obtained in the process of active interview then is presented to the society in a variety of styles and frameworks. In the recent decade, Iran’ s oral history has won a special position meanwhile. Two phenomena of Islamic Revolution of Iran and the Sacred defence, particularly the second one has created a high potential in order to create artistic works in this field. The most important specifications of books on Iran’ s oral history can be known as a valuable (worthwhile) message and their attraction which has caused to break the record of the circulation of the books in Iran in the recent 50 years and for the first time to be welcomed by majority of people in a wider range and much more extensive range than before. If we consider literary devices of classic novels as description, scene, flashback, flashforward, credibility, transition, dialogue, personification, attraction, conflict, suspense, prose, language, symbol, volume, variety of characters and several other specifications, some of the Iran’ s oral history books particularly the sacred defence oral history, in addition to containing the the above mentioned elements, possess a high degree of attractions and own supreme concepts, as well. Moreover, they can be considered as novels. Although, unlike most of the western novels elements like time, place, events and people in them are real.