Comparative analysis of the school of socialism in the novel "The cloudy years" by Ali-Ashraf Darvishian and Maxim Gorky's works (The Mother and The Trilogy)

After Renaissance in Europe and the following period of scientific and social prosperity, socialism ultimately reached its peak in Russia with the revolution of October 1917.  This event has greatly affected the countries of the world, especially the Communist Soviet neighbors, such as Iran. The Cloudy Years by Ali-Ashraf-Darvishian and Maxim Gorky’s trilogy are narratives of the lives of these socialist writers which disclose the inherent contradictions between socialist ideas and the present state of their societies. In this study, according to the goals and principles of socialism, and based on the American School of Comparative Literature, the similarities and differences between socialist thinking in Iranian and Russian societies will be addressed and analyzed.  It is shown that these acclaimed works, while taking into consideration the severities and weaknesses and cultural differences, express criticism and denunciation of private ownership of local capitalists, social hostility caused by class differences, modern feudalism, tyranny and violence imposed upon villagers, and the destruction of women's social status as against men. Through these observations the influence of Russian Revolution on the context of ideas in the Iranian society is revealed.