The Pilgrimage as Inner and Outer Journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage

The present paper aims at analyzing the significance and occurrence of pilgrimages as inner and outer journeys, focusing on their form(s) and role(s] in today’s postmodern society. The introductory part presents the phenomenon from a theoretical point of view, that is taking into consideration its possible definitions (e.g. as a religious phenomenon in pre-Christian and Christian cultures from the Middle Ages to the present: and pilgrimages in literature). The core of the paper then discusses Paulo Coelho’s novel entitled The Pilgrimage. A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom, which, though extremely popular, has not yet undergone any significant literary analysis. We shall examine the protagonist’s spiritual journey from the perspective of the postmodern human condition. The questions that the paper tries to answer also refer to the relationship between the novel and different religions such as Christianity and New Age. respectively neo-pagan movements that are the product and proof of postmodern pluralism at the same time.