Modern Turkish Literature in English

 

NEAR E 496/596 B explores the ways to enjoy and appreciate both Turkish literature and its representation in English literature.

 

On this page, you will have links to biographical information about the authors on the class syllabus.  Syllabus will reflect the changes in the readings, please check the syllabus prior to the class hours.

 

Prof. Selim S. Kuru

 

Denny Hall M-25

selims@u.washington.edu

http://faculty.washington.edu/selims/

Office Hours: M 1:30-2:30

What are the basic definitions of Turkish literature? How has Turkish Literature been studied and described? What are the major themes in Turkish Literature? Does literature in Turkish reflect Turkish culture? Is there a Turkish literature in the USA; if so how has it been defined? What are possible 'locations' of a translated literature in a 'foreign' culture? What are the differences of Turkish literature from other literatures in translation (especially in English)? To what extent, do the particular authors represent a literature? What can be the reasons for a particular text to be translated?

We will draw on such questions, and, while learning about the history of Modern Turkish Literature (1923-), and major arguments in the scholarly studies, through selected articles, and a wide selection of short stories, and novels, work on possible approaches to literature as a phenomenon which is both the total of a body of literary texts, and more than that.  We will employ author, text, reader oriented theories, and also the contexts of literature within Turkish Republic.

The focus of the class will be prose and verse stories. By the end of the class, students will have a basic knowledge of different and contesting accounts of history of Turkish literature, ideas on Turkish modernity, as well as information about major Turkish authors and their works, and dynamics of literary production in Modern Turkey.

 

GRADES

Paper %40

Undergraduate level (NEAR E $96 B) three short review papers (2-3 pages each); topics will be determined during the Quarter.

Graduate level (NEAR E 596) one paper (10-20 pages); topics will be determined during the Quarter, make an appointment with Prof. Kuru by the 5th week of classes.

[Papers are going to be in Times New Roman (12 points 1,5 line space)].

Participation %20

Class discussions and attendance will determine the participation. Students are expected to present their ideas within the frame of readings (both articles and literary texts).

Presentations %20

Each student will have 15 minutes presentations of certain reading material for class discussion.

Online reviews %20

Students will submit their thought on the week’s readings every Tuesday until 5:00 PM to Prof. Kuru’s e-mail address.



I.                    9/1-10/3

Introduction: Approaches to literature(s)

Discussion on general definitions of Third World literatures; Compare Jameson, Aijaz debate and Yapp’s approach.  Start reading Tanpınar for next week.

Jameson, Fredric, "Third-World literature in the era of multinational capitalism.”

Ahmad, Aijaz, "Jameson's rhetoric of Otherness and the 'National Allegory'.”

Jameson, Fredric, "A brief response.”

Yapp, Malcolm, "Modernization and literature in the Near and Middle East.”

 

II.                  10/10

Turkish literature I: Near East, and Turkish literatures

Defining a ‘Near Eastern’ literature.  Consider Tanpınar’s ideas of Modernization under the light of Jameson, Aijaz, Yapp and Moretti articles.  How does Moretti’s idea of a ‘World Literature’ respond to last week’s readings, and the brief descriptions of Near Eastern and Turkish literature by Halman and Yapp? Kuru and Paker are general outlines of Turkish literature.

Moretti, Franco, “Conjectures on World Literature.”

Kuru, Selim, “Literature- Turkey.”

Paker, Saliha, “[Turkish Literature in Translation].”

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Time Regulation Institute

III.                17/10

Enters, the Literature

Read Paker and Stone as historical accounts of Turkish Literature until 1950, and try to delineate different approaches in comparison to the previous weeks' readings.

Paker, Saliha, "Turkey [1850-1914].”

Stone, Frank A., "The evolution of Turkish Literature.”

These stories are early examples of Turkish short story, and representative of national literature movement.

Uşaklıgil, Halit Ziya, “Ferhunde the Maid.”

Adıvar, Halide Edip "Zeynep, my Zeynep."

Karaosmanoğlu, Yakup Kadri, "From 'Mansion for rent'."

Karay, Refik Halit, "The gray donkey."

Ömer Seyfettin, "The secret shrine."

Halikarnas Balıkçısı, "The Aegean floor.”

 

IV.               24/10

Representing the people I

Nazım Hikmet's novel in verse is the story of a train trip across Anatolia. While Çapan and Lewis summarize the development of Turkish literature, Sertel, a friend of Nazım Hikmet gives clues to the author.  Read and take notes concentrating on the characterization of people, and the structuring of the plot.

Lewis, Geoffrey, "Turkey [1914-1950].”

Çapan, Cevat, "Turkey [1950-].”

Sertel, Sabiha, "Reminiscences of Nazim Hikmet.”

[Ran], Nazım Hikmet, Human Landscapes

V.                 31/10

Enters, the Villager

Early republican populism allowed a village novel movement, which was very influential until 1970s. 

Dino, Güzin, "The Turkish peasant novel, or the Anatolian Theme.”

Stone, Frank A., "Literary views of Anatolia.”

Thomas, L., Sterling, P., "Foreword and Introduction to Makal’s “Our Village’.”

Baykurt, Fakir, "Fadim Aga's mills.”

Kemal, Yasar, "Salih the gazer.”

Makal, Mahmut, "from A village in Anatolia.”

Tahir, Kemal, "The marriage of shepherd Ali.”

Yildiz, Bekir, "Sahan the smuggler.”

VI.               7/11

Empowering love and Dissident laughter

Sait Faik was no satirist, unlike Aziz Nesin and Haldun Taner. But they all told stories of similar urban characters. Look for similarities and differences among Sait Faik and Taner, and Nesin.

Nayır, Yaşar Nabi, "Remembering Sait Faik.”

Abasıyanık, Sait Faik, "In the twentieth year of being a writer.”

Abasıyanık, Sait Faik, "The man who did calisthenics.”

Abasıyanık, Sait Faik, "Kalinikhta.”

Abasıyanık, Sait Faik, " There is a snake in Alemdağ.”

Nesin, Aziz, "Civilization's spare part.”

Nesin, Aziz, "Foreign aid.”

Taner, Haldun, "It's raining in Sishane.”

Taner, Haldun, "Sebati Bey's expedition to Istanbul.”

VII.             14/11

Routes of dissent

There is not much work on leftist social realist narrative of late sixties and seventies Turkish literature, and the literature on torture and prison is not represented in English translation as it deserves.

Hickman, William, "Notes on language and style of 'The homecoming'," Edebiyat 2:2 (1977):219-226. [Vüs'at O. Bener]

Bener, Vus'at O., "Homecoming," Edebiyat 2:2 (1977):213-219.

Öz, Erdal, "from You're wounded," (Halman 1982:148-154).

Soysal, Sevgi, "The junk peddler," (Mizanoglu 1994:29-37).

Ağaoğlu, Adalet, "The first sound of silence," (Mizanoglu 199.:49-55)

Füruzan, "Knowing how to play the piano," (Halman 1982:93-99)

VIII.           tba

Enters the Woman

Compare the short stories with the ones we have read thus far, and consider the question of women's literature against the definitions in  the articles.

Dino, Güzin, "A new generation of Turkish women.”

Moussa-Mahmoud, Fatma, "Turkey and the Arab Middle East.”

Erol, Sibel, "Sexual discourse in Turkish fiction: Return of the repressed female identity”.

Uyar, Tomris, "The guests at the Moribund Hotel.”

Tekin, Latife, Dear Shameless Death. Trans. Saliha Paker

Özlü, Tezer, "Chilly nights of childhood.”

Eray, Nazli, "Monte Kristo.”

IX.               tba

Representing the People II

Read and compare The New Life with Human Landscapes.

Adıl, Alev, "Letters to the Editor: Translating Orhan Pamuk.”

Wright, Ronald, "Letters to the Editor: Translating Orhan Pamuk.”

Gün, Güneli, "Something wrong with the language: A Turkish American Translator responds to her British critics.”

Pamuk, Orhan, The New Life, translated by Guneli Gun

X.                 5/12

Magnificent exceptions

There are some authors one may not locate easily within the frame of Turkish literary canon. Read and compare the stories with the ones we have read thus far.

Lord, Tracy, "Negotiations of access to Yusuf Atılgan's Motherland Hotel.”

Oğuzertem, Süha, "Fictions of narcissism: Metaphysical and psychosexual conflicts in the stories of Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar.”

Tanpınar, “Summer Night.”

Atılgan, Yusuf, "from Motherland Hotel.”

Burak, Sevim, "The window.”

Erdoğan, Aslı, "Wooden birds.”

Karasu, Bilge, "Hurt me not.”

Karasu, Bilge, "The Bosporus.”

Küçük İskender, "We were handsome, soulful children.”

Mungan, Murathan, "Four stories [:"Ç/C," "A bloody murder of love in Boyacikoy," "A woman called Hedda Gabler," "Muradhan and Selvihan or the tale of the Crystal Palace”]

Tekin, Latife, "Night lessons.”

 

 

 

 

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