EVOLUTION AND INVOLUTION IN JOSE SARAMAGO
EVOLUTION AND INVOLUTION IN JOSE SARAMAGO:
A STUDY BASED ON BLINDNESS, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS CHRIST AND THE STONE RAFT
The famous American literary critic Harold Bloom has stated that he considers Jose Saramago as “The most gifted novelist alive in the world today” (The Encyclopedia of World Writers, 385). The concept of revolution of thought and evolution of mind and the involution of culture is central to Jose
Saramago’s novels. The basic statement of hypothesis for the research-study thus can be stated as follows:
‘Revolution of thought leads to the involution of mind, but the opposite forces react against the effects of such cultural evolution and the final state of life will be worse than the existing stage.’
In a research relating to Saramago, themes like cultural evolution of mankind, globalization and its impacts on the cultural aspects of humankind, religious fundamentalism and its root-cause as commitment to irrationality, the question of moral action in times of crisis, the importance of feminine factor, ‘go back to basics’ theory, the prophetic role of writers and the use of language as a means of social change gain importance. All of Saramago’s writings are socked in Plato’s philosophy concerning human existence. The 1st chapter of this thesis states the problem of study, Saramago’s style of writing and the consolidated aspects of Saramago’s literary identity. The 2nd chapter deals with Saramago’s philosophical roots which mainly based on Plato’s philosophy and the other philosophical traditions after Plato till the recent times. The 3rd chapter is an in-depth analysis of 3 of Saramago’s main novels centered around 3 main themes as the problem of religious fundamentalism, the question of moral action in times of crisis, and globalization as an earth-shaking phenomenon. The 4th chapter deals with Saramago’s insistence on reason which would result in a secular outlook and a vision of life as least
A STUDY BASED ON BLINDNESS, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS CHRIST AND THE STONE RAFT
The famous American literary critic Harold Bloom has stated that he considers Jose Saramago as “The most gifted novelist alive in the world today” (The Encyclopedia of World Writers, 385). The concept of revolution of thought and evolution of mind and the involution of culture is central to Jose
Saramago’s novels. The basic statement of hypothesis for the research-study thus can be stated as follows:
‘Revolution of thought leads to the involution of mind, but the opposite forces react against the effects of such cultural evolution and the final state of life will be worse than the existing stage.’
In a research relating to Saramago, themes like cultural evolution of mankind, globalization and its impacts on the cultural aspects of humankind, religious fundamentalism and its root-cause as commitment to irrationality, the question of moral action in times of crisis, the importance of feminine factor, ‘go back to basics’ theory, the prophetic role of writers and the use of language as a means of social change gain importance. All of Saramago’s writings are socked in Plato’s philosophy concerning human existence. The 1st chapter of this thesis states the problem of study, Saramago’s style of writing and the consolidated aspects of Saramago’s literary identity. The 2nd chapter deals with Saramago’s philosophical roots which mainly based on Plato’s philosophy and the other philosophical traditions after Plato till the recent times. The 3rd chapter is an in-depth analysis of 3 of Saramago’s main novels centered around 3 main themes as the problem of religious fundamentalism, the question of moral action in times of crisis, and globalization as an earth-shaking phenomenon. The 4th chapter deals with Saramago’s insistence on reason which would result in a secular outlook and a vision of life as least