A Study of the Concept of Utopia in Hakim Sanai’s The Walled Garden of Truth and Thomas More’s Utopia

Sana Mahmoudi, Fatemeh Azizmouhamdi

Abstract


Two great literary works in English and Persian Literature; Thomas More’s Utopia and Hakim Sanai’s The Walled Garden of Truth display number of striking similarities, in addition to some prominent differences.  This study tries to highlight the similarities and the differences between these two work; therefore, authors’ writing style, mood, characterization and perspective are compared. The results show that both works used journey, narrator, secluded island and priority of description over story narration, which are the key characteristics of literary utopias, as the key methods of their writings. Meanwhile the ideas which each author attempts to impart to his readers differ greatly from each other. More’s Utopia presents detailed description of England social organization and Sanai’s description of utopia (The City of God) is based on ethical and mystical notions of Islam.

 


Keywords


Utopia, The City of God, Literary Utopia, Narrator, Seclusion, Journey, Dream and Description

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.2n.6p.161

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