Nuances of Spirituality and Resurrection in Saint Exupery's The Little Prince - With a Comparative Note on Iqbal's Thought

Abstract

The present study focuses on the thoughts of 20th century French writer and aviator Saint Exupéry encompassing his views on the nuances of resurrection and spirituality based on his critique on modernity. The arguments of this paper are based on his master piece novella The Little Prince – the widely read book of French literature with translations in more than 250 languages. In its comparative dimension, the critique of Muhammad Iqbal, the 20th century poet-philosopher, is also elaborated to expose how mankind has lost its spirituality and ethics in this modern world. Whereby the modern life indicates the technological advancement and scientific progress, it also mirrors the disregard of spiritual aspect of human life crushed by science and technology. Saint Exupéry develops a critique on the modern world, science and technology at the time when the same technology is being used to defend the frontiers across the world through World Wars. The character of the little prince visiting this world highlights the spiritual, philosophical and ethical vacuum in which we are actually living. On a comparative note, Iqbal’s poetic works with regard to the critique on the modern world further support the dearth of spirituality and ethics. His critique on modernity and industrialized society expounds the void between the secular and sacred dimensions of the modern world. The study thus seeks to examine how Saint Exupéry and Iqbal view the modern society as unspiritual, profane and materialistic. It also explores the alternatives that the two thinkers highlight vis-à-vis the modern rational thought and the sacred destiny of mankind.