Eschatological Literature and its Relationship to Utopia: Concept, Roots and Characteristics

Abstract

 The idea of ​​death and end of life has haunted the human mind since eternity. He did not understand the issue of the extinction of the soul after its existence. Writers of literary works were among those who were disturbed by the idea, so they started pouring out their opinions and perceptions in literary works, depicting the fate of this soul, and showing the nature of life in the world after death. Thus, this research focused on the subject of eschatological literature, and aimed at rooting this literary genre, tracing its early roots, and showing the stages of its development while defining its characteristics at each stage. It also aimed to reveal the relationship between eschatological literature and utopia. The research relied in its approach on the new historicism, which believes that the text is an aesthetic structure, which includes other subconscious, social, political and cultural structures, which should be manifested and its different contexts should be explained. Finally, the research came out with a set of results and suggestions.