A Comparative Study on the Archetypal Journey of Self-Realization in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist and Elif Shafak's The Forty Rules of Love

This comparative study deals with the archetypal journey of self-realization as represented in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist and Elif Shafak's The Forty Rules of Love. Both novels feature protagonists who starts a spiritual journey to realize their true selves and fulfill their fates. The study also discovers how the writers use different literary techniques to transmit the archetypal journey of self-realization. For example, Coelho deploys the theme of the personal legend which stands for a person's unique ideal which serves as a guiding force for Santiago throughout his journey. On the other hand, Shafak benefits from the Sufi concept of the dervish, which represents a person going after spiritual enlightenment through separation from material possessions. Indeed, it focuses on the protagonists' self-realization journeys to discover the archetypal motifs, symbols, and narrative structures. These selected novels share thematic points embedded in mysticism, spirituality, and personal growth. From these perspectives, the purpose of this article is to provide a general understanding of how these contemporary works contribute to the wider discourse on self-discovery within the context of the protagonists’ archetypal journey.

کلیدواژه ها:

Archetypal criticism ، spirituality ، The Alchemist ، The Forty Rules of Love ، sufism