Halide Edib Adıvar'ın son dönem romanlarında İstanbul'da gündelik hayat ve müzik

Abstract

Halide Edib Adıvar (1882-1964) who has produced literary works in nearly all kinds of narrative styles has dealt with the daily life of İstanbul primarily in her short stories and novels but also her articles published in periodicals and newspapers. It is clear from the studies carried out on the writer’s literary work that she is regarded as one of the precursors of the tradition of realistic novel writing in the literature which evolved in the Rublican period during the years she has lived through, including the War of Independence. In the studies conducted regarding her novels starting from Yolpalas Cinayeti (The Murder of Yolpalas) (1936) it has been repeatedly stated that she has reflected the daily life of İstanbul in an “objective manner approaching that of a historian” and it has always been said that her works constituted a historical source for the relevant period. As opposed to what is generally said, the writer has not used her observations on the daily life of İstanbul merely to create a setting for her novels. It appears rather that it is İstanbul’s daily life that brings itself forth as a central theme. In her endeavour to demonstrate in her novels the impact of the changes experienced in the political life and ideological views on the daily life of İstanbul, the writer uses as symbols cultural products that exist within the historical period she deals with. In this thesis, “jazz-bands” and “rock’n roll”, which appear as cultural symbols in Yolpalas Cinayeti (The Murder of Yolpalas) (1936), Sonsuz Panayır (The Neverending Fair) (1946) and Âkile Hanım Sokağı (Madam Âkile Street) (1957), have been examined by making comparisons with literary and historical resources as well as various reference materials written during the time period being examined. Thus, the historical facts, which these works were said to contain, have been scrutinized in line with the considerations for literary criticism which New Historicism offers. The thesis concludes that the historical events presented in the novels examined, including the historical reference materials used, cannot be regarded as historical phenomena and that due to her critical approach it is not possible for the writer to reflect the daily life of İstanbul in the manner a historian would. On the other hand, the conclusion that these novels provide an essential resource for exploring the transformation in time of a number of cultural products has also been reached.