Contemporary Persian Literature

Contemporary Persian Literature

A Sociological Study of the Concept of Female Utopia in the Worldview of Traditional Women: A Comparative Analysis of My Share by Parinoush Saniee and The Lonely Girl by Edna O’Brien

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
ghahreman shiri 1
Fatemeh Karimi 2
1 Literature faculty, Bualisina university, Hamedan, Iran
2 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
10.30465/copl.2026.51407.4253
Abstract
Abstract
The sociology of women has increasingly sought to explore women's ideals and aspirations within patriarchal societies. One of the central concerns in this field is the redefinition of the female utopia within cultural and social structures. Drawing on Anthony Giddens’s theory of structuration and Paulo Freire’s concept of critical consciousness, this study provides a sociological and comparative analysis of women’s utopian visions in two novels: My Share by Parinoush Saniee and The Lonely Girl by Edna O’Brien. The research employs a descriptive–analytical method based on library sources. The findings reveal that both authors portray women’s gradual transformation from passivity to awareness; however, the path toward liberation differs in each context. Masoumeh, in traditional Iranian society, seeks her utopia through access to basic civil rights, while Kate (Kathleen), in Catholic Ireland, strives for personal independence and self-realization. Consequently, the female utopia emerges not as a pre-defined social model but as a dynamic process of self-awareness and reconstitution within patriarchal systems.
Keywords
Keywords: Female Utopia, Sociology of Women, Structuration, Critical Consciousness, Parinoush Saniee, Edna O&rsquo
Brien

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