Murathan Mungan'ın çağdaş masallarında cinsiyetçi geleneğin eleştirisi
Author(s)
Advisor
Oğuzertem, SühaDate
2001Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
The Critique of Gender in Murathan Mungan’s Modern Tales
Murathan Mungan (b. 1955), a prominent Turkish author of the late
twentieth century, analyzes and interprets legends, myths, folk tales, and cultural
archetypes of the East in his literary works. The links that Mungan establishes
with traditional narratives intend to assess the cultural wealth of the land in which
he lives. This specific orientation, which is one of the keystones of his
understanding of art, helps us re-evaluate those patterns which have existed for
ages in traditional works of culture. By examining cultural patterns evolving in
time, Mungan succeeds in shedding light upon current social dynamics. In
Mungan’s works, a gender-sensitive role-analysis come to prominence with respect
to both the reader and the text.
One of Mungan’s most noticeable themes is the question of “masculinity”.
This recurrent theme offers Mungan various opportunities to question the role of
society in imposing stereotypical gender roles on individuals. Patriarchal gender
roles constrain the flourishing of individuals, inhibiting their creativity and
freedom. Mungan’s works inhere powerful critiques of the patriarchal ideology of
gender and its overt or covert influence over all aspects of life, ranging from
politics to literature.
Another significant theme in Mungan’s works is “loss of speech” or
“diglossia”. It indicates a social handicap as well as an individual one, and
provides us with multi-layered reading opportunities concerning individuals’
specific relationship with the language they use. Therefore, Mungan’s literary
activity could be interpreted as giving a voice not only to one’s personal history
but also to that of the east of Anatolia.