On the functi{dotless}on of avi{dotless}culture in the bi{dotless}rds have also gone [Yaşar kemal'i̇n kuşlar da gi̇tti̇ romaninda kuşçuluk geleneǧi̇ni̇n i̇şlevi̇]

Abstract

The tradition of aviculture, arising as a result of the interest shown in birds, has a really ancient history. In The Birds Have Also Gone, Yasar Kemal expresses that aviculture has a thousand-year-oldhistory in Istanbul; one that reaches back to the age of the Byzantine Empire. One aspect of aviculture, used as a fundamental motif in the novel, is sale of birds in front of places of worship in order that people can buy to set them free (azat buzat). The narrator implies that this tradition is on the brink of extinction. In the novel, this extinction refers to the end of humanism in modern society; for the young boys can not succeed to sell the birds and unfortunately they alienate to themselves by eating them in order to survive in the end. It is understood that the destruction of green areas due to urbanization, where birds are trapped, causes to the extinction of this tradition in Istanbul, as well. In this article firstly different aspects of aviculture will be briefly clarified then it will be asked that what function of this tradition is in the text. Lastly, the tragic end of the novel, implying the end of humanism and this long-lasting tradition in urban areas, will be suggested as a reflection of the approach of the 19th century romantic folklorists, based on the negation of folklore.