Namaeh Farhangistan

Namaeh Farhangistan

A Comparative Study of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress and Agha Najafi Ghouchani’s Journey to the West

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Kareem Lowaymi Mutlaq 1
Vahid Mojiri 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran
2 Master's degree, English language and literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran
10.22034/nf.2024.479910.1336
Abstract
The publication of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim’s Progress in 17th-century England and Agha Najafi Ghuchani's Journey to the West in 20th-century Iran occurred under comparable social and historical conditions. Both authors responded similarly to emerging societal challenges, despite the different historical and social contexts. In both England and Iran, the rise of modernity led to the formation of middle classes increasingly attracted to worldly pleasures. In reaction to this shift, some religious figures used the emerging genre of storytelling to caution middle-class readers against becoming absorbed in the allure of modern life. These two works exhibit similarities in plot, narrative structure, and methods of storytelling and event description. According to Siegbert Salomon Prawer’s theory, similar social conditions or human experiences in different geographical regions often produce literary works with comparable themes. Based on this theory, the present study explores and highlights the similarities between The Pilgrim’s Progress and Journey to the West, tracing these parallels back to the analogous social contexts that shaped them.
Keywords
John Bunyan
The Pilgrim's Progress
Agha Najafi Ghuchani
Journey to the West

Subjects

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Namaeh Farhangistan
Volume 23, Issue 4 - Serial Number 92
Nameh Farhangestan (comparative literature)
September and October 2024
Pages 95-112

  • Receive Date 16 June 2023
  • Revise Date 20 July 2023
  • Accept Date 23 August 2023