THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THEORETICAL CONCEPTS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK ENLIGHTENMENT LITERATURE

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE “INTEGRATION OF MODERN LINGUISTICS WITH SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND PRACTICE IN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION: NEW APPROACHES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES”, DECEMBER 4, 2025 743 THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THEORETICAL CONCEPTS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK ENLIGHTENMENT LITERATURE Khudoyorova Nafisa Bakhtiyor qizi 2nd-year PhD Researcher, Navoi State University https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17829192 Abstract. This article provides a comparative analysis of the formation, theoretical sources, artistic-aesthetic paradigms, and socio-spiritual purposes of English and Uzbek Enlightenment literature. Alongside the theoretical views of Western thinkers such as Immanuel Kant, J. Hibben, and Roy Porter, the Enlightenment concepts of Jadid intellectuals Behbudiy, Avloniy, Fitrat, Cho‘lpon, and Qodiriy are examined. The article comparatively elucidates the ontological, epistemological, and ethical interpretations of enlightenment within Eastern and Western civilizations. Keywords: Enlightenment, Jadid literature, educational thought, rationalism, moral perfection, empiricism, national awakening. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Enlightenment that emerged in Europe relied on the idea of liberating human thought and reorganizing social life according to the standards of reason and knowledge. The theoretical basis of this movement takes definite shape in Kant’s essay “What is Enlightenment?” Kant defines enlightenment as “man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity” [Kant, 1784, p.1]. In Uzbek literature, however, the Enlightenment arose in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries under the conditions of Russian colonial rule and performed the function of national revival. The roots of this process go back to the ancient spiritual heritage of the East. As Shuhrat Rizayev states, “the idea of enlightenment developed in conjunction with Islamic spirituality” [Rizayev, 1995, p.74]. This article aims to examine comparatively the theoretical concepts found in English and Uzbek Enlightenment literature. Immanuel Kant’s motto “Sapere Aude!” — “Dare to use your own reason!” — is the central principle of English Enlightenment theory. According to Kant, the only condition of enlightenment is freedom of public use of reason [Kant, 1784, pp.2–3], and the root of ignorance is “laziness and cowardice” [Kant, 1784, p.2]. J. Hibben summarizes Enlightenment philosophy as follows: “the aim is to free the human mind” [Hibben, 1910, p.1]; “reason is the final measure of truth” [Hibben, 1910, p.1]; “all spheres of life must submit to the authority of reason” [Hibben, 1910, pp.1–2]. Roy Porter also distinguishes English Enlightenment from the French and German variants by emphasizing several specific aspects: the English Enlightenment possessed a practical character and strongly promoted mass accessibility and social inclusiveness [Porter, 2000, pp.1–2]; publications such as “The Spectator” and “The Tatler” served as instruments for guiding the public toward enlightenment [Porter, 2000, p.5]. John Locke’s empiricism, expressed in the idea that “the human mind is shaped by experience,” likewise formed the foundation of English Enlightenment pedagogy. According to Shuhrat Rizayev, in the East the idea of enlightenment is a continuous spiritual-intellectual process stretching from the “Avesta” to Yassavi’s “Hikmats” [Rizayev, INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE “INTEGRATION OF MODERN LINGUISTICS WITH SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND PRACTICE IN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION: NEW APPROACHES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES”, DECEMBER 4, 2025 744 1995, p.74]. The essence of this process is to free the individual from the bondage of the ego and lead them toward spiritual elevation [Rizayev, manuscript]. Jadid literature, too, set the goal of resisting colonial oppression through enlightenment; to awaken the nation, it regarded schools, theatre, newspapers, and textbooks as essential, and considered education the primary function of literature. For instance, Avloniy states: “Knowledge is a rare pearl, exhaustless and imperishable” [Avloniy, 1993, p.86]. Cho‘lpon, in the story “Do‘xtir Muhammadyor”, depicts the enlightened intellectual as the main driving force of society [Cho‘lpon, 2002, p.46]. In Fitrat’s poem “Mirrix yulduziga”, the tragic condition of the nation is conveyed through sharp and striking lines [Fitrat, 2000, p.48]. In English literature, Swift’s satires and Smollett’s social critiques expose the moral decay of society. In Uzbek literature, Fitrat, Qodiriy, and Cho‘lpon strive to awaken the people’s dormant consciousness. The Enlightenment movement that spread across Europe in the eighteenth century appeared in English literature in a distinct form and philosophical content. In particular, the intellectual exchange between English and Scottish Enlightenment writers fundamentally renewed the content, form, and ideological direction of literature. The culture of dialogue, debate, and inquiry developed by Scottish intellectuals later penetrated deeply into the creative style of English writers. The quotations and sources below reveal specific features of the literary processes shaped within the English Enlightenment. Notably, the idea of conversational culture promoted by Scottish Enlighteners significantly influenced the development of eighteenth-century English literature and the modes of thinking of writers such as Godwin and Hazlitt: “their idea and practice of conversation diffuse into the work of English writers such as William Godwin and William Hazlitt.” [Wakazawa, 2017, p.206]. This view demonstrates how important the culture of dialogue and deliberation was in the development of English Enlightenment literature. Godwin’s politicalphilosophical essays and Hazlitt’s morally and psychologically rich publicistic writings continue precisely this enlightened ideal of the “conversable society.” This aspect reveals that English Enlightenment was not mere formal didacticism, but a mode of thought shaped through active reasoning, reflection, and debate within society. Enlightenment ideas are also openly reflected in eighteenth-century English prose. In particular, Tobias Smollett’s epistolary novels are recognized as vivid examples of the Enlightenment analysis of eighteenth-century English society. The author characterizes the conceptual core of Smollett’s prose as follows: in Smollett’s narrative, the moral decline of British society and the tensions between commerce and morality are interpreted through an Enlightenment lens: “Humphry Clinker shows the way in which the literary culture of eighteenth-century Britain is involved with the intellectual and social project of moralizing commerce.” [Wakazawa, 2017, p.125]. This quotation shows that one of the central lines of English Enlightenment literature was the issue of harmony between ethics and commerce, spirituality and economic life. Smollett artistically criticizes such problems as the rise of “luxury,” excessive wealth, and pleasure-seeking that lead society to decay. In particular, through his depiction of London, he sharply conveys the social problems of English society: “London as an overgrown monster, which, like a dropsical head, will in time leave the body.” [Wakazawa, 2017, pp.86–87]. This portrayal represents the artistic manifestation of one of the key ideas of English Enlightenment: the moral critique of social crisis. Enlighteners such as Jonathan Swift, Samuel INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE “INTEGRATION OF MODERN LINGUISTICS WITH SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND PRACTICE IN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION: NEW APPROACHES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES”, DECEMBER 4, 2025 745 Johnson, Addison, and Steele likewise repeatedly criticized the London environment, which had become dominated by luxury and self-interest. Thus, Smollett’s work fully corresponds to the general spirit of English Enlightenment literature and deepens its social-aesthetic ideas. Another important point highlighted is the global scope of the English Enlightenment. It is expressed in academic language as follows: “The geographical scope of writing in the Enlightenment encompasses the whole surface of the earth…” [Wakazawa, 2017, p.3]. This idea is one of the essential features of English Enlightenment literature and aligns with the tendency found in the works of writers such as Daniel Defoe “Robinson Crusoe”, Swift “Gulliver’s Travels”, and Samuel Johnson “Rasselas” to explore the wide world, humanity, and global issues. Thus, the English Enlightenment sought not only to describe changes within Europe, but also to illuminate global civilizational processes. As Wakazawa notes, in English Enlightenment literature, the idea of the “conversable society” — the culture of dialogue and conversation — is the primary instrument of enlightenment [Wakazawa, 2017, p.206]. Smollett, meanwhile, portrays London life as a “dropsical head,” illustrating the depth of moral decline [Wakazawa, 2017, pp.86–87]. In Uzbek Enlightenment literature, Behbudiy in “Qasdi safar” demonstrates the necessity of knowledge for the progress of Muslim peoples [Behbudiy, 2006]. In Cho‘lpon’s stories “Qurboni jaholat” and “Do‘xtir Muhammadyor”, the tragedy of an unenlightened society is depicted [Cho‘lpon, 2002]. Qodiriy, in his poems, bitterly criticizes the consequences of the people’s heedlessness [Qodiriy, 1996]. Overall, English Enlightenment laid the political-philosophical foundations of modern society, whereas Uzbek Enlightenment served as an ideological movement calling the nation to liberation and awakening. REFERENCES 1. Kant I. What is Enlightenment? – 1784. 2. Hibben J. The Philosophy of the Enlightenment. — New York: Macmillan, 1910. 3. Porter R. The English Enlightenment. — London: Penguin Books, 2000. 4. Rizayev Sh. Ma’rifatparvarlikdan ma’rifatchilikkacha // Tafakkur. — Toshkent, 1995. 5. Avloniy A. Usmon Millat. — Toshkent: Sharq, 1993. 6. Fitrat A. Tanlangan asarlar. 1-jild. — Toshkent: Ma’naviyat, 2000. 7. Cho‘lpon A. Asarlar. 4 jildlik. — Toshkent: Akademnashr, 2002. 8. Qodiriy A. Asarlar. — Toshkent: Fan, 1996. 9. Qosimov B. va boshq. Milliy uyg‘onish davri o‘zbek adabiyoti. — Toshkent: Ma’naviyat, 2004. 10. Wakazawa W. The Conversable Enlightenment. PhD thesis. — Edinburgh University, 2017. 11. Behbudiy M. Qasdi safar. — Toshkent: Ma’naviyat, 2006.