Nurdan Grbilek

Dandies and Originals: Authenticity,

Belatedness, and the Turkish Novel
Lets stait with an inpasse in oui ieading piac-
tices. Ciiticisn in Tuikeynot only social and
cultuial ciiticisn lut also liteiaiy ciiticisnis
nostly the ciiticisn ol a lack, a ciitique devoted
to denonstiating what Tuikish society, cultuie,
oi liteiatuie lacks. Thus statenents ol lack (We
dont have a novel ol oui own oi sinilaily We
dont have a tiagedy, a ciiticisn, a philosophy, oi
an individual ol oui own) aie typical ol a ciitical
stance that positions itsell lion the veiy stait as
a conpaiative one, piesuning that it lecones
convincing only when it talks alout sonething
the othei has lut we dont have, pointing out
to the peisistent lack, the iiienovalle deciency,
the unyielding inadequacy ol its olect: Tuikish
cultuie.
It would le unlaii to say that this is neiely
a discuisive lallacy. A whole set ol social-
econonic-cultuial ieasons aie at woik heie: a
society that is lelatedly nodeinized,
1
a sys-
ten ol thought that has cone to accept its
insuciency leloie a nodein one piesuning
to le supeiioi, and a cultuie that has adopted
an inlantile iole when conlionted ly loieign
nodein ideals. What the Gieek scholai Giegoiy
The South Atlantic Quarterly oz:z[, Spiing[Sunnei zoo.
Copyiight _ zoo ly Duke Univeisity Piess.
600 Nurdan Gurbilek
]usdanis calls lelated nodeinity, what the Iianianscholai DaiyushShaye-
gan desciiles as a consciousness ietaided to the idea,
2
what the Tuik-
ish scholai ]ale Paila explains ly a sense ol latheilessness
3
and what the
Tuikish ciitic Oihan Koak discusses within the lianewoik ol a nissed
ideal
4
aie all ielated to the tiaunatic shilting ol nodels geneially discussed
undei the heading Westernization. This cultuial context loiced Tuikish lit-
eiaiy ciiticisn towaid leing an anxious eoit ol conpaiison piogianned
to discuss lionthe veiy stait the depiivation, insuciency, and shoitage ol
its olect: Tuikish liteiatuie.
In lact not only the ciitics lut also the ieadeis ciitical iesponse is iooted
ina sinilai conplaint ol insuciency that has lecone analnost autonatic
iesponse, a ieex action thioughout the yeais. Most theoietical woiks in
Tuikishgive us the inpiessionthat they aie tianslations lionaWesteinlan-
guage, ciude adaptations ol an alien theoiy, shallow initations ol an oiigi-
nal nodel inevitally deloined when caiiied to a dieient cultuial scene.
It is as il the Westein concepts have lost theii vialility oi they have lecone
sonewhat decoiative guies in an ineit local theoiy that is lelated and aiti-
cial at the sane tine. Theie seens at least to le an iiienovalle tension
letween the loieign theoiy and the local ieality, letween the alien concepts
and the native cultuial scene.
Ciiticisnol the novel gets its shaie lionthe tension. Most Tuikishciitics
llane Tuikish novelists loi cieating secondhand chaiacteis lacking spon-
taneity and oiiginality, chaiacteis who aie piisoneis ol initated desiies,
copied sensililities, lookish aspiiations, and lelated toinents. It is as il
the ciitical attenpt has elininated itsell lecause ol a delect inheient in
the olect itsell, the ciitic leconing a Westein olseivei entiusted with the
task ol showing howpiesence is spaied lionthe local olect, soneone in
chaige ol declaiing that the oiiginal veisionol eveiything local is elsewheie,
naking iecoid ol loieign delts, initated looks, stolen plots, and deiived
chaiacteis. Hence Tuikish ciiticisn is loin into an aiiogant detachnent
lion its olect piesuned lion the veiy stait to le ciude, piinitive, and
childlike.
The ciiticisn ol lack is in lact toin letween two extienes. The ist
one assunes that what is oiiginal is elsewheie (outside, nanely in the
West) while the second insists that we do have an authentic liteiatuie and
a genuine native thought lut in oidei to appieciate it we have to leave
aside all those lileless initations and snollish eoits ielated with the West.
Dandies and Originals 601
The ist one, acconpanied ly an unconditional adniiation loi the loieign
nodel, devaluates its olect ly ieducing it to an inpoit, while the second
takes sides with a tiue sell that was alnost ciushed ly the loieign ideal,
waiting loi the iight nonent when the oppiessed tiadition, the iepiessed
past, oi the autononous innei woild will speak with a language conpletely
its own. Thus ciiticisn in Tuikey is toin letween a detached olseivation
iepioaching its olect loi its inadequacy and an aident seaich loi an authen-
tic localness, letween snollish aiiogance and piovincialist piide, letween
an unconditional adniiation ol the stiangei and an unconditional hos-
tility to it.
A laii evaluation will take notice ol the desiie loi oiiginality heie: the
desiie loi a novel that has a less tiaunatic lile ol its own, loi a ciiticisn
equipped with concepts not alien to its olect, loi a ciitical theoiy that does
not neglect the tensions ol living in a cultuial clinate sonewhat dieient
lionthe otheis. This desiieleloie it was liozen into a ieex actionwas
neatly expiessed ly Ahnet Handi Tanpnai (o6z), poet, novelist,
essayist, and liteiaiy ciitic, one ol the nost talented and enlightened g-
uies in the wake ol Tuikish nodeinist liteiatuie. In the 6 essay Oui
Novel [Bizde Ronan| Tanpnai was tiying to answei the question Why
dont we have a novel that is specically ouis? and seeking ways to get
iid ol the inadequacy he called the gieat lack. He explained this delect
paitly ly the lact that Tuikish cultuie does not have an extensive and tense
ait lile, paitly ly the naiiowness ol individual expeiience in Tuikish
society, sonetines ly ieleiiing to the dieiences in class stiuctuie in Tui-
key, sonetines ly the lack ol intiospection, which he connected with the
lack ol ieligious conlessioninIslan, paitly ly the lact that visual aits aie not
that developed in Ottonan-Tuikish cultuie, and nostly ly the naiiowness
ol the individual wiiteis inagination. He too was conpaiing the Tuikish
novel with the Westein nodel, pointing out that theie is a lack ol oiigi-
nality in the Tuikish scene. He was also the ist ciitic who loinulated the
piollen as a dilenna: the Tuikish wiitei cannot escape the lack ol vitality
even when he geneiously suiiendeis hinsell to local daily lile, lut theie
is always an aiticiality, a lack ol genuineness when he sails into loieign
hoiizons. Thus the wiitei is toin letween a lunny and wietched localness
and a ciippled and inconplete loieign nodel. He is eithei too nuch a
Westeinei oi ienains the nanol piinitive taste. Bothpositions will liing
loith liteiaiy puppets lacking ieal depth.
5
602 Nurdan Gurbilek
The oveiwhelning piesence ol the dilenna had convinced Tanpnai ol
the necessity ol cieating a liteiatuie that is totally oui own. He lelieved
that a liteiatuie which is neithei wietched noi iootless, neithei lunny
noi deiivative, neithei piinitive noi initative, which has loth a hunan
wainth and a hoiizon will le the iesult ol an oiiginal synthesis ol native
chaiacteiistics and Euiopean ideals. Tanpnais eveiy suggestion towaid
this olective staits with the woid self: We needed to go lack to ouiselves,
go lack to oui own past, go lack to oui own cultuial wealth. In oidei to
cieate a liteiatuie oiganically ouis, we had to le oui own selves. But the
dilenna appeais once again in the veiy attenpt to tianscend it: Tanpnai is
talking alout cieating a national liteiatuie iooted in an authentic national
sell, lut the sentence itsell is spoken undei the veiy piessuie ol the loieign
nodel, with the desiie to iise to the level ol the nodel, with the olective ol
winning the adniiation ol the adniied nodel: It is inpossille loi Euio-
peans to adniie us lecause ol things that we have loiiowed lion then.
The nost they will say is a shoit Well donel It is only when we intioduce
to then things that aie specically ouis that they will like us, tieating us as
theii equals in the path ol leauty and sell-iealization.
6
Moie than hall a centuiy latei, Oihan Koak analyzed the sane dilenna
within a psychoanalytic lianewoik in the 6 essay Missed Ideal on the
late Ottonan nodeinist novelist Halit Ziya Uaklgil. The Tanzimat (the
state-sponsoied political ieloins ol the nid-nineteenth centuiy) had intio-
duced a iilt in the Ottonan woild ly piesenting Westein cultuie as an ideal
to le enliaced, theiely ieducing the local ego to a state ol inlant-like
helplessness leloie the loieign ideal. Latei it was the iepullican state itsell
that ist piesented Westein cultuie as an ideal to le enliaced and then
iepiinanded those who enliaced the ideal too wholeheaitedly. This iilt
was expeiienced as a doulle-lind, iesulting in a lutility that dened the
contouis ol nuch ol nodeinist Tuikish liteiatuie up to this veiy day. The
Ottonan-Tuikish wiitei is dooned to a local sell without an ideal when
he gets in touch with daily lile, wheieas he is undei the connand ol loi-
eign desiies, copied lancies, loiiowed aspiiations when he steps into the
woild ol ideals. Theie is a shallowness ol vision and a sluggishness in the
ist case while theie is a secondhandness and an aectation in the sec-
ond one.
7
Dandies and Originals 603
Hence the doulle deloination: the local sell will cause the loieignideal to
appeai as a deloined one, while the loieign ideal has alieady deloined that
local sell. The localness ensuies that the loieign ideal is aiticial, incon-
plete, and snollish, wheieas the loieign ideal has alieady tiansloined
that localness into an ineit, clunsy, and woin-out piovinciality. The ideal
will always look like a caiicatuie ol itsell, sonething alafranga in the local
scene, lut the local scene itsell is alieady ieduced to a caiicatuie ol itsell,
sonething alaturka leloie the loieign ideal.
8
Thus the doulle-lind that has
dened the piole ol the nodein Tuikish liteiaiy scene up to this day: the
Tuikish novelist is eithei a snol, a paivenu, a dandy, oi an uniened pio-
vincialist stuck in the naiiow tiaditional woild.
The question is, How can liteiatuie go leyond this doulle-lind? Is theie
an oiiginal aiea sonewheie letween Tanpnais lunny and wietched
localness and ciippled and inconplete loieign ideal, oi letween Koaks
clunsy and naiiow daily lile and the loiiowed loieign ideal? The sane
iilt is also valid loi a liteiaiy ciiticisn toin letween the aiiogant olseiveis
gaze, wheie the liteiaiy woik in question is piesuned to le the pioduct
ol an inadequate local sell and a pioud piovincialisn speaking on lehall
ol a local sell nade niseialle ly the loieign ideal. But the two diveigent
stances in lact shaie the sane nationalistic paiadign. Let ne ienind you
ol the typical ciitical connent: the Tuikish novel does not say anything to
us alout us and the chaiacteis aie initations ol chaiacteis lion Westein
woiks. This iecuiiing conplaint, geneially acconpanied ly an accusation
ol thelt, soon tiansloins the ciitic into a detective in seaich ol initated
looks, stolen plots, and deiived chaiacteis, in chaige ol soiting out which is
loiiowed lion which. A vicious ciicle indeed, lut one that has inuenced
even sone ol the nost talented ciitics in Tuikey. ]ust to give an exanple:
Tanpnai the ciitic says that theie is a lack ol taste and wainth due to
the lack ol sonething sulstantial ol oui own in Halit Ziyas novels and
yeais latei Tanpnai the novelist is laced with a sinilai accusation.
9
Suad,
the evil-ninded chaiactei ol Tanpnais q novel Peace of Mind [Huzur|
is said to le unconvincing, iathei supeicial, lecause he is a tianslation
ol Dostoyevskys alect heioes, especially Staviogin ol The Possessed.
10
But lehind the olsessionwithoiiginality theie is the nationalistic ieex
11
which was oveitly expiessed ly the iepullican liteiaiy scholai and histo-
iian Mehned Fuat Kpiulu (8o66): Why hasnt the nolle and origi-
nal Turkish spirit that has gained national victoiy and nade the national
604 Nurdan Gurbilek
ieloin, that Tuikish chaiactei, which is nolded in a thousand yeais ol
enancipation and soveieignty, which longs loi lieedon lut alhois leing
the piisonei ol loieign cultuies, why hasnt this spiiit appeaied in liteiatuie
yet? When will we le alle to celeliate the national nasteipiece which will
tell us alout the lile and nysteiy ol the Tuikish people, which will nake us
conscious ol oui unconscious enotions?
12
In The Rise of the Novel, Ian Watt states that the English woid original has
taken its nodein neaning ly a senantic ieveisal in the eighteenth centuiy,
the peiiod whenthe novel iose. The woid that inthe Middle Ages had neant
having existedlionthe ist cane to neanundeiived, independent, ist-
hand and staited leing used as a tein ol piaise neaning novel oi liesh
in chaiactei oi style.
13
The Tuikish woid orijinal also has the two nean-
ings not deiived, loiiowed oi initated, initial and piistine and liand-
new, inteiesting oi unique. But the two diveigent neanings (piistine and
liand-new, initial and inventive), alnost opposites, aie united in a
single neaning, orijinal taken as sonething inteiesting oi unique since it
is the veiy essence ol sonething iathei than its initation, the pioduct ol
an autononous thought, an innediate expeiience, a spontaneous inagi-
nationsonething open to the initation ol otheis iathei than leing an
initation itsell. But the tension letween the two neanings is still theie.
Moieovei, the dieient usages ol the woid orijinalitsell ol Fiench oii-
gindisplay the cultuial iilt in the Tuikish scene. Kpiulus orijinal Trk
ruhu [oiiginal Tuikish spiiit| ieleis to a nationalistic spiiit inagined to le
the spontaneous pioduct ol an autononous national sell, wheieas the lan-
guage ol the capitalist naiket tells us that an orijinal peilune oi an orijinal
llue ean is an inpoit, pioducts ol the donestic naiket neie initations.
The sane anliguity is also valid loi the new Tuikish woid zgn (oiigi-
nal) coined lion the Tuikic z (essence). zgn is loth that which is tians-
latedinto Tuikishoi ust the contiaiy, sonething whichis genuinely ouis,
sonething ielated to an oiiginaiy Tuikish essence. But ol couise it is not
only a nattei ol woids. In the Tuikish scene, wheie one constantly needs
to tianslate teins ol one cultuie to those ol anothei (and ol couise dollais
and euios to Tuikish liias), neanings constantly shilt. As a nattei ol lact,
the Tuikish oiiginality itsell is nade up ol that shilt. The iepullican lan-
guage ieloin, the attenpt ol pioducing an z Trke (an essential, puie,
Dandies and Originals 605
and genuine Tuikish vocalulaiy) ly ieplacing teins ol Aialic and Peisian
oiigin involves the enchantnent with theWest, since it involves the attenpt
to constiuct an oiiginaiy Tuikishness lion a pie-Ottonan past thiough
philological techniques leained lion the West,
14
lut it also iepiesents the
leai ol losing ones identity in that ol the Westein outsidei. Sinilaily the
woid zgn ieleiiing to the sane z (essence) as that ol z Trke, coined
to ieplace the Fiench orijinal, displays loth the enchantnent and the angei
involved in Tuikeys ielationships with the Westein woild.
In this essay I discuss the specically Tuikish aspects ol this desiie loi
oiiginality in the context ol liteiaiy ciiticisnand the novel. I aigue that the
oveienphasis on oiiginality and the olsessive attenpt to cieate an authen-
tically Tuikish novel itsell is pait ol the inpasse ol lelatedness iathei than
a way out, that the olsession with authenticity itsell is the outcone ol the
veiy divide that conpulsoiily nade sone ol us snols and the iest unie-
ned piovincialists in each otheis eyes. Is theie oi can theie le a Tuikish
novel that has a distinct identity
15
woiking with an authentically Tuikish
nateiial with a style specically ouis? In oidei to answei the question I go
lack to the piehistoiy ol the Tuikishnovel, a piehistoiy not only ol the Tuik-
ish novel lut also ol Tuikish dandyisn, locusing on a novel that owes not
only its cultuial context lut also its sulect nattei to dandyisn. This is The
Carriage Aair [Araba Sevdas| ly Recaizade Mahnut Ekien (8q;q),
one ol the second-geneiation Tanzimat wiiteis.
16
Within the lianewoik ol
this novel I tiy to see whethei theie aie ways, at least in the donain ol lit-
eiatuie, ol aesthetically tianscending the dualities ol the oiiginal and the
initation, the authentic and the deiived, the sell and the othei.
It is accepted that iealisnoi a iealistic ionanesque that has noved away
lion ionanticisnin the Tuikish novel staits with a giotesque est, with
a novel nade up ol a oke, as Tanpnai puts it. This is The Carriage
Aair, alout the spoiled son ol an Ottonan aiistociat (Bihiuz Bey) and his
love loi the lady (Peiive Hann) he neets in anlca, the excuision spot
wheie nolle ladies and gentlenen iide theii elegant landaus. But Recaizade
Ekiens novel is a caiiiage aaii also lecause it is the stoiy ol Bihiuz Beys
inlatuation with caiiiages. We soon undeistand that Bihiuz the dandy is in
love with the oinate landau that Peiive Hann iides, with the nodeinized
anlca wheie he neets hei, with Lanaitines poen Le lac [The pond|
606 Nurdan Gurbilek
that the pond in anlca ieninds hinol, with the Belle Hlne opeietta that
he listens to theie, and nally, with the inages ol the Fiench poets that he
adniies, iathei than with the lady heisell, whose lace he does not piopeily
see. Bihiuz Beys soiiow when he loses his love is no less an initation: in
the centei ol pain stands Lanaitines Graziella, the poen the Fiench poet
wiote altei the death ol the young giil he loved. ]ust like Bihiuzs eoit to
tell love, his eoit to tell painpaves the way loi a seiies ol tianslations (tians-
lations ol Fiench poens to Tuikish), naking The Carriage Aair a conic
novel alout nisundeistood woids.
Let ne stait withAhnet Handi Tanpnais inteipietationol The Carriage
Aair. Tanpnai desciiles the novel as the woik that piepaies the Tuik-
ish ionanesque, lut he seens to le uneasy, iathei anxious lecause ol the
excessiveness, the exaggeiated nockeiy and the oensive iealisn ol
the novel. Accoiding to Tanpnai, it is lecause ol his pooi inagination that
Ekien takes ieluge in an exaggeiated iealisn, he giasps the conical, lut
since he wildly insists onit, leating the stiings violently ovei andovei again
instead ol ust touching then, he lieaks the instiunent. Once again the
doulle-lind: The Carriage Aair is a ciitique ol snollisn, a novel alout aiti-
ciality, iootlessness and excessiveness, a novel alout a chaiactei nade up
ol exaggeiated gestuies, lut iionically the novel itsell is ust as excessive,
exaggeiated, and aiticial as the thing it ciiticizes. The Carriage Aair is a
novel ol iootless shadows and the chaiacteis in the novel live a shadowy
lile, a lile exteiioi to thenselves, says Tanpnai. And it is the nain chaiac-
tei ol the novel that tioulles hin nost. Bihiuz Bey is a chaiactei haidly
piesent and the novel lacks the values that nakes a hunan leing a hunan
leing. Recaizade Ekienis unalle to tell us alout inwaidly lelt enotions
and a spontaneous expeiience.
17
Lets not le unlaii to Tanpnai. The Carriage Aair is indeed a giotesque
conedy ol eiiois staiting and ending with a oke. Bihiuz is indeed a chaiac-
tei lacking aninnei woild, a hollownannade up ol loiiowed gestuies. His
inlatuation with the lady is neiely an inlatuation with caiiiages. Thus The
Carriage Aair is the stoiy ol a loiiowed nodel iathei than that ol natuial
leelings, the stoiy ol ionantic gestuies iathei than spontaneous passions,
the stoiy ol a deiived sell iathei than an autononous innei woild. But this
is exactly what tioulles Tanpnai. He says that the novels nain chaiactei
is not a hunan leing, lut an olect, the landau itsell.
As I nentioned eailiei, Tanpnai was one ol the nost enlightened g-
Dandies and Originals 607
uies inthe wake ol Tuikish nodeinisn. He was inuenced ly Fiench poets
and wiiteis like Baudelaiie, Valiy, and Pioust, yet he did not have the avei-
sion to the Ottonan nost Westeinized and iepullican intellectuals shaied.
He lavoied the idea ol an unlioken continuun in cultuial histoiy and was
occupied with piollens ol pioducing an authentic national liteiatuie, ol
cieating an oiiginal synthesis ol native chaiacteiistics and Euiopean ideals.
He called loi a sulstantial ietuin to oui own iealities and to a peisonal
expeiience genuinely ouis and was in seaich ol what he called the innei
nan, an oiganically conposed and genuine cultuial sell. Tanpnais notion
ol cultuie was an oiganicist one, that ol an inviolate cultuie having an integ-
iity ol its own. Hence he was loi a cultuial nationalisnacconpanied ly the
insistence to go lack to oui own selves.
The conicts and anxieties lehind Tanpnais stance aie evident. The
attenpt to cieate a national liteiatuie without lieaking the cultuial con-
tinuun is a contiadiction in itsell, and the veiy olsession with authen-
ticity iepiesents the anxiety ol losing ones sell in the supeiioi nodel.
Tanpnais ciitical iesponses to The Carriage Aair also letiay this anxiety.
It is unlikely loi an oiganicist like Tanpnai to enoy a novel alout a chai-
actei living a lile exteiioi to hinsell. But that is the whole idea lehind
Recaizades novel. The chaiacteis in the novel aie oveishadowed ly a lan-
dau iiding lull speed to and lion anlca, sinilaily, Bihiuzs eoits to
expiess his love aie oveishadowed ly the texts ol the Fiench wiiteis. With-
out Rousseaus Nouvelle Heloise oi Lanaitines Graziella, without Manon
Lescaut, Paul et Virginie, oi La Dame aux camlias, Bihiuz can neithei lall in
love noi shed a teai. He is a nan without an inteiioi, since the inteiioi is
alieady conposed ol the exteiioiol loiiowed gestuies, ionantic clichs,
and quotations lion Fiench wiiteis. Foi Tanpnai, Bihiuz nust have leen
the enlodinent ol lutility, the adulteiated outei nan ieninding us that
the peisonal expeiience Tanpnai cheiishes night not le that peisonal altei
all, oi that lutility itsell is a conponent ol what we call personal experience
in the nodein woild. Tanpnais inteipietation ol The Carriage Aair tuins
out to le a deliniting one, since he tiies to x a cleai loundaiy letween the
genuine national sell and Tanzimats snollish one. He concludes that The
Carriage Aair is signicant since it is the ciitique ol a ceitain peiiod, the
stoiy ol a ceitain geneiation, a satiie on the psychology ol an epoch lull ol
Westeinized dandies.
Now the question is, Is that so? Is The Carriage Aair signicant neiely
608 Nurdan Gurbilek
lecause it is the stoiy ol a tiansient lancy, an alafranga anlition that has
toinented the Aldulaziz peiiod (86;6) alone? Is it the ciitique ol a ioot-
less geneiation alieady lelt lehind, paiody ol snollisn long suipassed? Is
theie an inteiioi, an innei nan, and il theie is, wheie shall we look loi it?
Snollisn is dened as sonething excessive. The snol is not soneone who
initates, lut soneone who initates excessively, not soneone who loiiows,
lut soneone who loiiows leyond neasuie, not soneone who desiies the
otheis desiie, lut soneone who exaggeiates that desiie. Thus the ciitique
ol snollisn is nostly the ciitique ol excessiveness. Theie is always sone-
one out theie noie excessive, noie ol a caiicatuie than oui own tiue sell.
The existence ol the snol is the guaiantee loi oui leeling genuine ouiselves.
Bihiuz ol The Carriage Aair is a typical Westeinized zppe.
18
He is
estianged lion tiaditional Ottonan values, has an unconditional adni-
iation ol Westein cultuie and is easily caiiied away ly the consunption
iegine acconpanying nodeinization. He is intoleiant ol the vulgai lolk
cultuie and looks down on the inadequate Tuikish language, having an
inadequate knowledge ol Fiench hinsell. This guie, the Westeinized
dandy who pieviously appeaied in Ahnet Mithats novel Felatun Bey and
RakmEfendi [Felatun Bey le RakmEfendi|, kept showing up againand again
in latei Tanzimat novels like Quick to Fall [psevdi| ly Huseyin Rahni and
Efruz Bey ly Onei Seylettin.
19
In Excessive Westeinization altei Tanzi-
mat [TanzinattanSonia Ai Batllana|, eiil Maidiniightly says that
theie is a Bihiuz syndione that has aected nost wiiteis in the Tanzi-
mat peiiod. Accoiding to Maidin, the alundance ol dandies (thus the stiong
opposition against then) in Tanzimat liteiatuie is a iesponse to the shock
Westein civilization caused in the Ottonon Enpiie. It is the ieaction ol the
nan in the stieet to the iuling elite, the ieaction ol the Muslin neighloi-
hood to the pietentious anlca, the ieaction ol the tiaditional connunity
to the sinlul and caiousing Beyolu (the Euiopeanized and cosnopolitan
centei ol Istanlul that iepiesentedthe newconsunptioniegine, leconing
the synlol ol an adulteiated cultuie loi nany Tuikish wiiteis, Tanpnai
anong then). In othei woids, the alundance ol dandies in Tanzimat liteia-
tuie iepiesented the discontent ol the connunitaiian low classes who see
the naiket econony and individual consunption as a thieat to tiaditional
society. The Bihiuz opposition was a sonewhat new veision ol lolk nan
Dandies and Originals 609
Kaiagzs nocking iesponse to the veilose Hacivat, chaiacteis ol the tia-
ditional shadow show. Bihiuz syndione iepiesented loth an adniiation
ol the nateiial leatuies ol Westein cultuie and a connunitaiian consei-
vatisn against nodeinisn, a conseivatisn that lalels that adniiation as
sonething evil and sinlul. Mockeiy ol the dandy was an aspect ol social con-
tiol towaid those not oleying connunitaiian noins, those deal to people
weaiing shalwars and veils. It was a social contiol aining to cast out the
excessively Westeinized elite in chaige ol nodeinization.
20
Mockeiy ol this iootless cieatuie, this lieak ol natuie, this pietentious
extiavagant calledzppe also hada signicant place inthe political discouise
ol nodein Tuikey. The lelittling Tuikish teins tatl su frengi (lieshwatei
Fiench) oi salon sosyalisti (living-ioon socialist) aie exanples ol a sinilai
ieaction. The zppe, who is loth a snol, the slave ol the lashionalle, and
a dandy who pays exaggeiated attention to physical appeaiance ust like a
wonan, iepiesented the opposite ol loth wailike nanly values and those
ol the stieet and the connunity. Maidin iightly states that the opposition
to the zppe was inuential in Tuikey up to the 6os as an opposition to
socialisn. It is a iesponse that lelt its tiaces inTuikishnationalisnand anti-
Westein chauvinisn. As a nattei ol lact, tiaces ol the Bihiuz syndione
aie seen in Tuikey even today in the opposition to intellectuals that was an
inpoitant conponent ol the cultuial clinate lollowing the nilitaiy coup
in 8o. The entel guie (entel leing the lelittling allieviation ol the Tuik-
ish woid entellektel neaning intellectual) was the nain taiget ol Tuikish
hunoi and especially ol Tuikish caiicatuie in the 8os and os, and
the woid entel has a populai usage today designating people toin away lion
lile and, ol couise, lion nanly viitues, people occupied with insignicant
details, excessively sophisticated and iathei eeninate. Hence zppe des-
ignates loth the initating snol and the eeninate dandy.
Now lets go lack to The Carriage Aair, since theie is a question alout
the novel we have not answeied yet. Why does a Westeinized wiitei like
Recaizade Ekien, lanous loi his liteiaiy ienenent, nake lun ol the West-
einized dandy? Pieviously Ahnet Mithat had done so, lut he was a wiitei ol
aitisan oiigins dedicated to enlightening the naoiity, expiessing theii soi-
iows, speaking loi viitues such as laloiiousness, thiilt, and leing content
with what one has, anadvocate ol the genuine Tuiks and llessed Muslins,
a novelist who took ait loi aits sake to le an iiielevant lancy. What is
iathei conplicated is Ekiens case: How does a wiitei lanous as a nan ol
Man with nannequin . Photo ly Aiil A.
Dandies and Originals 611
Man with nannequin z. Photo ly Aiil A.
alafranga conloits, an advocate ol ait loi aits sake, lecone hostile to the
dandy? How is that possille?
Maidins answei to the question is a sociological one. What nakes Ekien
an opponent ol the dandy is his closeness to the Young Ottonans, the elites
that did not lenet lion the llessings ol the Tanzimat as nuch as they
wanted, intellectuals discontent with the speed ol social nolilization in the
piocess ol nodeinization, who stood loi a populist ciitique naking use ol
the discontent ol the lowei classes. Hence the Young Ottonans leaned on
a Bihiuz opposition in theii political stiuggle against the uppei luieau-
ciacy, llaning the Tanzimat advocates loi cieating a new nolility and loi-
getting the nan in the stieet. This opposition was instiunental iathei than
spontaneous and lecane an instiunent in the hands ol these intellectuals
who thenselves weie advocates ol nodeinization, an instiunent ol noli-
lizing the nasses undei theii own linited and iathei conseivative nod-
einization pioect. Thus the Bihiuz opposition was a connon denonina-
toi ol the tiaditional uppei- and lowei-class cultuies. It was the pioduct ol
the estiangenent ol loth the connunity and the connunitaiian Ottonan
iuling elite lion the new consunption iegine.
612 Nurdan Gurbilek
Sociology explains why the dandy guie is so cential in Tanzimat liteia-
tuie and why Ekien nade the eoit to wiite a satiie on dandyisn. It also
explains why the nockeiy ol the dandy is so cential even in todays Tuikish
political thought. But theie aie things that sociology does not explain. What
nakes The Carriage Aair unique anong Tanzimat novels, what nakes it
sonething noie thana docunent ol the Bihiuz syndione, is not its leing
a satiie leaning on connunitaiian values, lut iathei its lailuie to le a
satiie. Insatiie theie is aninsuinountalle wall, anunsuipassalle loundaiy
letween the lalse othei and the tiue sell, and it is ly nocking the lalse othei
that the wiitei ensuies the tiue sell. The satiiical voice is a sell-condent,
deteinined, and cleai voice. This is exactly what The Carriage Aair lacks.
Theie is neithei a in naiiatoi noi a iesolute authoiial voice in the novel
to denounce the loppish Bihiuz. It is iathei a hesitant, lalteiing, and unde-
cided voice that we nd theie, waveiing letween the thiid-peison singulai
and the ist-peison pluial, letween the authoiial voice ol the naiiatoi and
the alafranga ol Bihiuz, a voice that does not dieientiate itsell lion that
ol the nocked chaiactei. It is this lalteiing voice that nakes The Carriage
Aair a novel going out ol oidei, a novel in which the wiitei loses its voice
anong voices and texts othei than his own. Even il we piesune that Ekien
shaies the tiuth with his pullic (even il he is against the zppe, that ala-
franga nalady thieatening connunitaiian values) we soon undeistand that
the possilility ol telling the tiuth has alieady leen lost. The wiitei is no
longei the guaidian ol the tiue sell, since language itsell does not woik.
The Carriage Aair is a patchwoik ol dieient styles. The alafranga ol
Bihiuz, the high style ol the ist-geneiation Tanzimat wiiteis, an aiticial
language loiiowed lion the Fiench ionantics, and Ekiens own iealis-
tic voice exist side ly side in the novel. But that is what this novel is all
alout. Bihiuz spends all his tine tianslating one language into anothei. He
tianslates Rousseau into Tuikish only to nd that Tuikish is not adequate
enough. He tianslates a chansonnette lionthe Divan lyVsl (the Ottonan
poet he calls the Biangei ol the Tuiks and the only Tuikish poet woithy
ol his lane), only to nd that this language is as stiange to hin as Chi-
nese and that he does not undeistand a woid without the Ottonan dictio-
naiy piepaied ly the Englishnan Redhouse. Thus The Carriage Aair tuins
out to le a woik displaying senantic dilennas, connunication inpasses
and stiategies that negate its own text, a synlol ol the liteiaiy ciises ol
the peiiod, as ]ale Paila has aptly shown in a detailed stylistic analysis.
21
Dandies and Originals 613
Rathei than leing a satiie leaning on tiaditional connunitaiian values, The
Carriage Aair is a text iepiesenting the unavoidalle liteiaiy ciises ol the
Tanzimat wiitei (who ly denition pioceeds ly tianslating connunitaiian
values into innovative ones), a text displaying the unavoidalle accident that
acconpanies the act ol tianslation itsell, a llack paiody hinting at its own
pietensionits own snollisn. As to snollisn itsell, iathei than leing a
iidiculous excessiveness, it points to the possilility ol unveiling the chaiac-
teiistic leatuie ol the weiid cieatuie called Tanzimat novel. It is the childlike
desiie ol the snol that enalles us to see that the caiiiage is lought ly delt,
love is loiiowed, enotions aie lookishand the novel inpoited.
Tanpnai ciiticizes Ekien lecause it is the caiiiage iathei than a hunan
leing that lecones the piotagonist ol The Carriage Aair. But iathei than
leing a weakness, that is the nain cialt ol Ekiens novel. Both the caiiiage
and the novel aie synlols ol the sane loieign ideal, the sane loiiowed
consunption iegine, the sane inpoited nodein lile. Hence the Tanzimat
wiiteis inlatuation with novels is as aiticial as Bihiuzs inlatuation with
caiiiages. Bihiuz lalls in love with the lady lecause he likes hei landau,
Ekien has lallen in love with the novel since it is a Westein inpoit, sone-
thing that will caiiy hin away lion that clunsy lunch ol woids called
Tuikish liteiatuie and closei to the adniied woild ol Lanaitine and Allied
de Musset. The cai, which Henii Lelelvie calls the king ol olects oi the
king-olect, the olect that is the sign ol consunption as well as a scene
loi the consunptionol signs,
22
lecones inThe Carriage Aair the synlol ol
not only changing places lut also changing identities. (The consunption
ol signs has a vital inpoitance loi Bihiuz, wheievei he goes, he ains not
to see and le seen, lut only to le seen.) It iepiesents the pionise ol a sec-
ond lile, the eoit ol leing soneone othei than ones inadequate sell, the
chance to inagine and show onesell as the othei, the attenpt to close the
distance letweentiaditional Suleynaniye andnodeinanlca (oi letween
the lelatedly nodein anlca and Paiis itsell ) and thus the woiiied exei-
tionol closing the gap letweenthe peiipheiy and capital ol desiieust like
the novel itsell. But lets not loiget that the landau ol The Carriage Aair is
lought ly delt and that it will le in an accident, its axle lioken, its paint
coning oust like The Carriage Aair itsell, which is a look ol accidents
and a novel going out ol oidei. Thus the caiiiage tuins out to le the veiy
synlol ol a nodein technique that cannot le nasteied, the synlol ol the
loieign toy called the novel loiiowed at the sane tine lion the veiy sane
614 Nurdan Gurbilek
place as the caiiiage itsell. In the land ol the tiac nonstei
23
and lelated
novels, it is as il the king-olect is pointing to the unavoidalle accident at
the oiigin ol the constiuct Turkish novel.
Lets ask eiil Maidins question once again, this tine tiying to answei it
while staying within the liteiaiy donain, ly ieleiiing to the possililities
ol liteiatuie itsell iathei than those ol sociology. How cone a Westeinized
wiitei like Recaizade Ekien nakes lun ol the Westeinized dandy?
Although close to Young Ottonan ideals, Ekien was laithei away lion
politics conpaied to the ist-geneiation Tanzimat wiiteis. At the tine he
was one ol the lew wiiteis adheiing to the piinciple ol ait loi aits sake,
which was taken ly his contenpoiaiies as a sell-indulgent, extiavagant, and
hence snollish endeavoi, since the suppoiteis ol ait loi aits sake weie
accused ol not taking liteiatuie as a nediun loi social nolilization and
ol saciicing neaning loi ait. Ekien was the loundei ol Servet-i Fnun lit-
eiatuie, accused ly Ahnet Mithat and othei contenpoiaiies ol leing deca-
dent, and was latei accused ly otheis ol escapisn, aiticiality, and ioot-
lessness. He was an advocate ol the innovatois opposing Muallin Naci, the
chiel spokesnan loi pievious liteiatuie. He was not nuch inteiested in the
Aialian oi Peisian liteiatuies, inuenced noie ly the Fiench ionantics
who sullinate the autonony ol hunan enotionsust like Bihiuz hin-
sell. He tianslated and dianatized the Atala ol the ionantic Chateauliiand,
was inuenced ly Allied de Musset and Lanaitine, wiote the sentinen-
tal love stoiy Muhsin Bey altei ieading Lanaitines Graziella, and entitled
his volune ol poens Meditation [Tefekkr|ust like Lanaitine, the poet
ol Mditations. Tanpnai states that leloie he wiote The Carriage Aair, he
conposed sentinental poens displaying a postcaid sentinentality, liked
things that weie sad and sentinental, was lond ol enotional and pathetic
things and insisted on a weepy voice on the accidents ol lile. Even the
poen he wiote loi his dead son, Nejad-Ekrem, was a nonunent ol ionan-
tic clichs. He piolally wiote it altei he iead La Moit de ]ulie, the poen
Lanaitine wiote loi his daughtei who died duiing the east ouiney.
Tanpnais ciitical ienaiks on Recaizade Ekien aie signicant. Ekien
was a nan wide open to all the inuences aiound hin, he was undei the
inuence ol ideas spieading like nalaiia at the tine, he wiote in a lan-
guage in uttei conlusion, he seaiched loi a taste ol language and tiied to
Dandies and Originals 615
nastei the aruz veise, lut all in vain. He was the victin ol a ciises ol
taste and wiote hollow veises undei the inuence ol an excessive sensi-
lility leained lion Fiench looks and conposed with a lelated ionan-
ticisn loose pieces ol poetiy ol childish content, poens lull ol histiionic
gestuies displaying an uncontiolled taste and an enpty sensilility.
24
It is
as il Tanpnai is desciiling Bihiuz, the nanenpty inside, the pueiile dandy
incapalle ol developing an innei woild ol his own. But it is not Tanpnai
hinsell lut his nentoi, the poet Yahya Kenal, who openly accuses Ekien
(lecause ol his alafranga lehavioi and dandyish attitudes) ol leing a Bihiuz
hinsell: Ekien Bey is ust anothei Bihiuz, that is alll
25
The state ol lelatedness conceins not only ideas and ideologies lut also
desiies and aspiiations, anxieties and leais, envies and iesentnentsthe
desiie to le the othei and the leai ol losing ones sell in the othei. The wiitei
is always alieady woiking in that space nade up ol aspiiations and liustia-
tions, piides and shanes, the sell and the othei. Nowthe question is, Hasnt
Recaizade Ekienlelt that he has his shaie ol lihiuzness hinsell ? Hasnt
he noticed that what he calls his inner world is also conposed ol ionantic
clichs, stolen siniles, and veilosity? Can it le that he hasnt noted that
his own love ol novels is a love ol changing identities? Lets ask ouiselves:
Could it le that ieading The Carriage Aair neiely as a satiie ol the loppish
Bihiuzas we weie taught ly oui teacheis at schoolinvolves the attenpt
to hide the inevitalle snollisn at the oiigin ol oui own identities, the sell
we call the original Turkish spirit? Can it le that we havent noticed that this
national sell estallished its veiy oiiginality ly hiding its own Westein-
ized aspiiations, constantly pioecting snollisn to the excessive othei, the
dandyish Tanzimat sell ?
The nainstiean ciitical opinion is that Tanzimat novelists lled theii
novels with clichs stolen lion Westein wiiteis, with puppets conplete
stiangeis to us since they lacked intiospection. Now it is tine to nove one
step luithei. What il that is what they saw theie? When they weie looking
inside thenselves, what il soneone elsea deloined and a distoited guie
lut soneone else indeedlooked lack at then? What il the place called
inside consists ol anoutside? What il the innei woild is nade up ol accidents
and tiaunas iathei than leing a natuial tieasuie that is always alieady
theie? What il it is the ideas spieading like nalaiia oi the unwanted
guests
26
thenselves that nake up the place we call the interior?
We suiely do not know whethei Ekien was pieoccupied ly these ques-
616 Nurdan Gurbilek
tions. But we know that it is inpossille to speak ol a genuine sell oi an
oiganic lody in a cultuie in the lig iush to tianslate Fiench woiks, togethei
with the classical woiks that have leen nodels to the Fiench thenselves,
wheie the sell itsell has lecone a noisy eld ol discouise, a piocession ol
looks, a lattlegiound ol nodels. Olviously Ekien hinsell diilted in the
sane wind and piolally lelt thwaited ly the sane olstacles as the chaiac-
tei Bihiuz. Hence The Carriage Aair gives us the chance to think alout the
inevitalle snollisn not only ol the Ottonan dandy, lut also ol the Tuik-
ish wiitei, ciitic, and ieadei, since what is called Tuikishness itsell involves
at the veiy oiigin the cuiiently iiienovalle iilt letween a snollish sell
and an authentic one, letween an alafranga sell and an alaturka one. This
is what Maidins sociological explanation ol The Carriage Aair disiegaids.
The attenpt to iead The Carriage Aair neiely as a satiie, as sonething less
than what it is, places not only its wiitei lut also its ciitic in an autononous
space uncontaninated ly snollisn.
Tanpnai was well awaie that the piotagonist ol The Carriage Aair was
soneone alnost alsent, that the authoiial voice itsell was alnost alsent.
Hence the anxiety: He desciiled the piospective synthesis letween the
Westein ideals and native chaiacteiistics with the netaphoi ol the lody,
the living oiganisn whose paits lunctioned in peilect hainony, wheieas
Ekienwas talking alout an uttei oddity in which native chaiacteiistics and
loieign ideals had iiiepaially deloined each othei. Bihiuzs innei woild
is a nanulactuiedoi in his own alafranga Tuikisha fabrike edilmi (lal-
iicated) woild. Moieovei, not only the nain chaiactei ol the novel lut the
novel itsell is a lieak ol natuie, the pioduct ol the encountei ol two antago-
nistic epistenological systens.
27
Tanpnai was the nanol possililities: He
longed loi aninviolate cultuie and insisted onanaesthetics ol hainony that
can possilly iepioduce the integiity and intactness lost in ieal lile. As loi
Ekien, his idea ol the conical iested on inpossililities. He suggested that
what we call old culture is ieduced to a dictionaiy (the Ottonan dictionaiy
piepaied ly an Englishnan), that an East-West synthesis will necessaiily le
deloined and disguied. Tanpnai was in seaich ol what he called the innei
nan while Ekiensuggested that the innei nan hinsell night le nade up
ol loieigninuences and exteinal piessuies. Tanpnai invited us to go lack
to ouiselves, while Ekien inplied that it nay le too late to go lack to an
intact sell.
In the Tuikish cultuial scene ol the 8os and os, when theie was an
Dandies and Originals 617
outluist ol iepiessed authentic selves, we noticed the inpasse once noie:
We cannot go lack to oui selves, since what we call self always appeais as
sonething alteied undei the otheis look, sonetines as a delense necha-
nisn, sonetines as a nationalistic iesentnent, and nostly as a denand loi
powei, at least as an elenent ol decoiation, since the tiue sell can easily le
ieduced to a decoiative Eastein eectunless it is not piollenatized. Yes,
it is always too late to go lack to an oiiginal sell, and in lact the invitation
to go lack to an oiiginal sell is the expiession ol lelatedness itsell.
I tiied to piollenatize the specically Tuikish aspects ol the olsession with
oiiginality, lut we know that oiiginality and authenticity aie not piollens
ol lelatedly nodeinized cultuies alone, that oiiginality acquiied a tianscen-
dent value also in nineteenth-centuiy Westein Euiopeiionically when
spontaneity itsell was at stake. A conpaiison letween Recaizades Bihiuz
and Flauleits Enna Bovaiy night enalle us to olseive the connon lea-
tuies ol the piollen ol loiiowed peisonality in the novels ol the peiipheiy
and the netiopolis.
28
What nakes the Ottonan dandy and the piovincial
Fiench wonan alike is that loth lack spontaneity and aie ieduced to look-
ish passions.
29
Enna is piovoked to love ly the ionantic novels lull ol
gloony loiests, ionantic intiigue, vows, sols, enliaces and teais,
30
as is
Bihiuz ly the desiie-invoking novels his Fiench teachei Monsieui Piyei
ieconnends. Enna ciaves loi Paiis once she lieathes the dust ol cheap
novels she devouis when only lteen, and so does Bihiuz, lecause he has
iead the Fiench ionantics at a young age. As a nattei ol lact, Bihiuz and
Enna aie lond ol the veiy sane look. Enna ieads Beinaidin de Saint-
Pieiies Paul et Virginiethe love stoiy ol unadulteiated heaits in the nidst
ol intact natuiein the nonasteiy at a young age, Bihiuz ieads the sane
look ust a lew nonths leloie he lalls in love with Peiive Hann. Paul et
Virginies inuence is iathei iionic in loth cases. It is a look on intactness
and natuialness, lut it soon lecones the nodel to pietendeis initating the
otheis desiie.
Theie is one noie sinilaiity letween Enna and Bihiuz woith nention-
ing. Both notheiless Enna and latheiless Bihiuz aie piovoked into con-
spicuous consunption. Enna, who gets to know the latest lashions ol the
capital lion the piess and who loves liteiatuie lecause it stiis hei desiies,
is inpelled to luy the latest goods so that she can nake hei lookish sell
618 Nurdan Gurbilek
ieal. Thus what is noie signicant in this ist tiagedy ol the consunei
31
is the desciiption ol goodssilk cuitains, silvei candlesticks, chanpagne
spilling out lion slendei glasses, leatheiy slippeis ol pink satin, and silvei
cigaiette casesiathei than Ennas loving leelings. Sinilaily, ieadeis ol
The Carriage Aair will iecall the tiadenaik ol Bihiuzs stylish oveicoat, the
lalel on his liightly polished ankle loots, the enaneled watch he caiiies
in the pocket ol his white vest, and his silvei stenned walking cane iathei
than his leelings loi Peiive Hann. Fuitheinoie, the cential thene ol
The Carriage Aair is a secondaiy one in Madame Bovary: Enna has the
seciet desiie ol possessing a llue caiiiage pulled ly English hoises. The
caiiiage is once again the synlol ol changing places (lion the peiipheial
Yonville to Paiis) and thus ol identities. The caiiiage will ist whip desiie
and then caiiy the peiipheiy closei to the capital ol desiieust like the
novels thenselves. What Ren Giiaid desciiles as a liteiaiy inculcation,
what he calls the seninal lunction ol liteiatuie, is cential to loth Bihiuz-
isn and Bovaiysn.
32
It is lecause ol this liteiaiy inculcation that Enna
deens Rudolphe a piince with the white hoise and Bihiuz takes the loose
coquette loi a nolle lady.
]ules de Gaultiei wiote his lanous essays on Bovaiysn at the tuin ol
the centuiy, dening Bovaiysn as the lack ol an auto-suggestion lion
within, which nade the Bovaiyst chaiactei lated to oley the suggestion
ol an exteinal nilieu.
33
Flauleits chaiacteis weie naiked ly an essential
lack ol a xed chaiactei and oiiginality ol theii own, escaping lion theii
insuciencies ly identilying with an inage they took loi theii own, pei-
ceiving thenselves as the othei (seeing thenselves as they aie not) since
they weie nothing ol theii own accoid. Despite all theii dieiences (Enna
lails lecause nothing woiks out the way she pietends, Bihiuz, on the othei
hand, standing sonewheie letweenGaultieis Bovaiysntiiunphant and
pueiile Bovaiysn, staits and ends as a childlike pietendei nevei lacing
the tiagic end) they shaied the sane lack ol oiiginality, the sane lack ol
autosuggestion lion within.
Giiaids Deceit, Desire, and the Novel was wiitten against the ionantic
thesis that ninetic desiie is less poweilul thanspontaneous desiie. Accoid-
ing to Giiaid, desiie is not autononous oi spontaneous lut nediated,
involving the nediation ol a nodel, the desiie ol the otheithe desiie
to le anothei. Flauleits Bovaiyst chaiacteis, Stendhals vaniteux, Piousts
dandy, and Dostoyevskys undeigiound nan ievealed the dynanic ielation-
Dandies and Originals 619
ship letween individual and collective desiie, the hostile dialogue letween
the sell and the othei, showing us that the inteiioi gaiden so olten piaised
ly the ionantic ciitics is nevei a solitaiy gaiden. All gieat novels, to the
extent they lieak the illusion ol the autononous sell, show us that the
snols desiie is not a stiangei to us. Dostoyevskys chaiactei descends to
the undeigiound to leel the piide and sueiing ol leing unique lut ends
up with a piinciple ol univeisal application: the nonent he leels he has dis-
tanced hinsell lionthe otheis is the nonent that he leels closest to then.
Giiaids theoiy ol tiiangulai (oi netaphysical) desiie piovides an
inpoitant lianewoik loi the discussion on snollisn. The snol is a caii-
catuie, and like all caiicatuies it exaggeiates the lines, lut while doing so
it openly ieveals the ninetic natuie ol all desiie. Neithei the desiie ol the
child noi that ol the lovei is noie spontaneous oi oiiginal than that ol the
snol. Snollisn is signicant heie once again in ielation to oui ieading
stiategies. Theie is an iiony in the ciitics sullination ol the oiiginality ol
Don Quixote (the initation ol initations) oi piaising the undeigiound
nan as the apostle ol spontaneity. Such a ieading iepiesents the nodein
sell s eoit to dieientiate lion the othei, leing pione to loiget the iole
the othei plays in the genesis ol ones own desiie. In the destiuctive angei
against snollisninthe eoit to caiiy Bihiuzisnoutside the autononous
selltheie is the tioulled attenpt to luild an autonony alieady lost. What
Giiaid calls ionantic piide is the tendency to see the natuial child in
oui own sell while seeing the aiticial snol in the othei. One will willingly
ieveal the iole ol the nediatoi in otheis, willingly nock snollisnas a vice
we ouiselves have loitunately leen spaied, so that one can hide the iole ol
nediation in ones own desiie: Ekien Bey is ust anothei Bihiuz, that is
alll Yet at a closei look we should le alle to notice that the snol eniages
us lecause it is a tasteless caiicatuie ol oui own desiies. It is lecause ol
oui own desiie to le the othei, lecause ol the inconpleteness ol that desiie,
that the snol paiticulaily aiouses oui disdain.
That Giiaids theoiy ol desiie is a univeisal one haidly taking into account
local, cultuial, oi national dieiences can le taken as a theoietical weak-
ness. But the theoiy ol ninetic desiie takes its veiy univeisality lion the
lact that its olectdesiie itsellhas alieady leen univeisalized. It is not
a neie coincidence that Giiaid lases his theoiy nostly on the novel ol
the nineteenth centuiy, the epoch when spontaneity and oiiginality loth
acquiied a tianscendent value and lost giound, when autononous natuie
620 Nurdan Gurbilek
was loth ionanticized and oveishadowed ly a second natuie nade up ol
exteinal suggestions, when not only capital and goods oi ideas and ide-
ologies lut also desiies and aspiiations spiead to viiginal lands no nattei
what the iace, the countiy, oi continent is, when laws ol desiie thenselves
weie univeisalized, all eyes tuining lionLondon(the woiking house ol the
woild) to Paiis (the capital ol desiie), the concept desiie leconing noie
inpoitant than that ol need.
34
Giiaid hinsell undeilines that ninetic
desiie is the desiie ol an epoch ol nodein ieconciliation iathei than that ol
violence and ailitiaiiness, the desiie ol a society wheie individuals aie liee
and equal ly law in the sense that eveiyone initates eveiyone else. Thus
the new ieadei is a ninetic one, univeisal in the sense that he lives in the
sane univeise ol desiie as the otheis, pione to nake the otheis desiie his
own. Graziella is the ledside look ol loth Flauleit and Ekienand sinilaily
Paul et Virginie is the ledside look ol loth Enna and Bihiuz.
35
But lets not disiegaid the dispaiity acconpanying capitalist univeisal-
ization. Not only the novels lut also oui own peisonal expeiiences tell us
that the ouiney towaid desiie is always lion the dull peiipheiy towaid
the glinneiing capitaleven in ieveised ouineys wheie viigin wildei-
ness, nolle savage, exotic East, natuial native, oi innocent child lecone the
olect ol longing. Desiie always goes altei capital lionthe peiipheiy towaid
the honeland ol capital, towaid glitteiing goods and dazzling olects. In
lact it is this veiy distancedistance to the capital ol desiiethat nakes
nodein piovinciality what it is. Theie is nevei an autononous and sell-
sucient piovince that can go lack to itsell , on the contiaiy, the piov-
ince is always what is piovincialized, seized, and seduced ly the supeiioi
othei. The novelistic chaiacteis who aie slaves ol exteinal suggestions aie
initative to the extent that they aie seized ly this seductive light. Enna
has lost hei oiiginality lecause she has devouied looks lull ol desciiptions
ol wild desiie, lecause the chaiacteis in these looks glinnei as conets
in the daik sky ol histoiy, lecause this encountei with light has cieated
an iiiepaialle iilt in hei sell. Hence nuneious novels tell us how the glit-
teiing light has iiiecoveially tuined ones sell to a dull distiict, a piini-
tive and woin-out piovince. Foi Enna hei husland is tasteless and unie-
ned lecause ol his plain talk and ideas devoid ol lantasy. Even natuie gets
its shaie lion the conveision: The snowy nountains ol Switzeiland give
Enna a sense ol sullination, wheieas hei own gaiden has tuined into
an uninspiiing place llunting the soul. Foi Bihiuz the Tuikish language
Dandies and Originals 621
itsell has lecone an uninspiiing tongue incapalle ol expiessing sulline
leelings, thus the eoit to speak ol desiie will always le hindeied ly the
inadequacy ol the Tuikish language.
This piovides us with a lioadei lianewoik loi discussing lelatedness.
In the nodein woild leing lelated is inagining onesell peiipheial, piovin-
cial, undeideveloped, and inadequate, and it is piecisely this inadequacy the
snol hides. Thus the guies ol the pietentious snol and the uniened pio-
vincial, iathei than leing opposites, aie the two laces ol the sane guie.
Giiaid states that Don Quixote is neiely a snol in the eyes ol his peeis,
the petty squiies. Sinilaily Enna nust have leen a snol in the eyes ol
the people ol Yonville. And when we sciape o Bihiuzs dandyisn, we nd
undeineath the oiphaned Ottonan pushed to the peiipheiy ol the woild,
to a dull distiict cultuially ienote lion the centei called West. And it is
no coincidence that the dual identity called Tuikishness, that lipolai nod-
ein sell involving loth the state ol diilting towaid the loieign ideal and the
eoit to go lack to an oiiginal sell, that desiie to le anothei and the leai
ol losing onesell in the othei, is always pieoccupied with exteiioiizing the
guies ol the snol and the uniened piovincial in oidei to le autononous
and oiiginal itsell. Theieloie it is these tasteless caiicatuies thenselves that
piecisely dene this oiiginal sell. That is why we pielei to iead The Car-
riage Aair neiely as a satiie on snollisn, as a nanilesto ol the opposition
to Bihiuz.
The eoit to go lack to a genuine sell was linked with the invention ol
a lelated national liteiatuie, lut the piollen ol liteiaiy genuineness cei-
tainly involves noie than that. I nentioned eailiei that nost Tuikish ciitics
accuse Tuikish novelists ol cieating loiiowed chaiacteis lacking a genu-
ine voice ol theii own. The iiony is that the histoiy ol the novel since Don
Quixote is lull ol chaiacteis living in the woild ol loiiowed ideals and look-
ish aspiiations, chaiacteis who theiely lail in evaluating the ieal woild. It
is no coincidence that novelistic chaiacteis aie condenned to an oidinaiy
late to the extent that they long loi sonething exceptional: a genuine voice
ol theii own. In Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov sheds llood lecause he
wants to dieientiate hinsell lion the oidinaiy nasses, taking gieat pains
to le like Napolon, ust to see in the end that his lloody act is nothing
lut an oidinaiy udicial case, hinsell nothing lut a pale copy ol chaiac-
622 Nurdan Gurbilek
teis lion a loieign novel. The undeigiound nan cuises the connon laws
ust to see in the end that the cuise itsell is ust as loiiowed and lookish
as the thing he cuises. Kiilov ol The Possessed pieleis death in oidei to chal-
lenge God with the couiage to desiie nothingness, lut his death itsell will
neiely le an initation ol Chiists death. The Tuikish scene is no dieient.
In Tanpnais Peace of Mind, Suad, the evil-ninded dandy, connits suicide
as a challenge to the intellectuals ol nediocie ideas and nodeiate sensi-
lilities, lut his suicide (acconpanied ly a Beethoven conceito) is nothing
lut an initation, a liteiaiy clich loiiowed lion a Dostoyevsky look. In
Ouz Atays ; novel The Disconnected [Tutunamayanlar|, the lookwoin
Selin, coning liona snall town, cannot giowuplecause he conluses what
is lookish and what is ieal, peiishing eaily in lile lecause ol the desiie to
le a Dostoyevsky, a Goiky, and an Oscai Wilde, all at the sane tine.
36
The
case ol Lado in Latile Tekins 8q naiiative The Berji Kristin: Tales from the
Garbage Hills [Berci Kristin p Masallar| is no dieient. Lado, the heio ol
the shanties on the gailage hills adopting a new consunption iegine
not with silvei candlesticks and silk cuitains as in Madame Bovary, noi with
enaneledwatches andanlei piayei leads as inThe Carriage Aair, lut with
liuit powdeis and llue eansis also olsessed with looks. He is secietly
wiiting the novel ol his lilelut in vain.
The novel eneiged with the clain to oiiginality. It was to take its sul-
ect nattei lionindividual expeiience iathei than lionnythology, legend,
past histoiy, oi pievious liteiatuie. It needed to le loyal only to individual
expeiience iathei than leing loyal to pievious nodels oi canons. It was to
lenet lionall pievious genies without the inpeiative to oley a iule. That
is wheie the dilenna appeais: in oidei to le oiiginal, the novel has to le
loyal to an expeiience that is locally oi individually unique, lut in the epoch
ol contagious ideas and contaninative desiies, local oi individual expeii-
ence is always laced with the piollen ol lelatedness. Hence the histoiy
ol the novel involves the clain to oiiginality as nuch as the expeiience ol
losing that oiiginality, an outluist ol local coloi as nuch as the conquest
ol what we call localness, an eiuption ol individuality as nuch as the dangei
ol losing that individuality. Likewise it involves an outluist ol inteiioiity as
nuch as the awaieness that the innei woild is ieduced to exteinal sugges-
tions, clichs, and aectations. In lact what we call interiority in the novel
is nostly the awaieness that inteiioiity is endangeied, nativity conqueied,
and natuialness lost loievei.
Dandies and Originals 623
These ceitainly do not explain the dieience letween Flauleits olec-
tive seiiousness and Recaizades giotesque hunoi, oi Flauleits detached
iionic attitude and Recaizades llack paiody, oi Flauleits stylishness and
Recaizades accidental style, oi the dieience letween the conlessional
tone ol the Fiench wiitei (Madane Bovaiy, cest noil) and the accusa-
tive tone in the Tuikish scene (Ekien Bey is ust anothei Bihiuz, that is
alll). In this essay I delileiately tiied to undeiline the suipiising sinilaii-
ties letween the two scenes, the sinilai psychological giound nouiishing
dieient novels, so that we candiawoutlines ol a paiadignnot disiegaiding
cultuial dieiences lut liee ol disciininative cultuialisn.
37
Since it is these
sinilaiities that nake novels sonething noie than docunents ol nation-
alistic oi local identity, calling oui attention to the nodein dilenna the
Ottonan dandy shaies with the Fiench piovincial, the Fiench piovincial
with the hidalgo ol La Mancha, the hidalgo ol La Mancha with the Russian
undeigiound nan, the Russian undeigiound nan with the disconnected
Tuikish intellectual.
Lets go lack to The Carriage Aair. Though we have spaiks ol iiony theie,
it is not a novel ol an antagonistic sell divided letween longings and ieali-
ties, sueiing lecause ol the lailuie to le genuine. As soon as he iealizes
that Peiive Hannis in lact a loose coquette, that love is neiely a piovoca-
tion and pain a hackneyed gestuie, the pueiile dandy hops in the caiiiage
and leaves the scene loievei. The encountei with ieality does not lead to
a change, a conict, a ciisis, oi a liagnentation in Bihiuzs static chaiac-
tei. But despite this novelistic weakness, The Carriage Aair is a signicant
woik since it has diawn the iiieveisille line in the Tuikish novel, point-
ing out that snollisn is the constitutive elenent ol the oiiginal Tuikish
spiiit itsell, wheie not only gestuies and appeaiances lut the innei woild
itsell is at stake. Il theie is a weakness in the nodein Tuikish novel, it is not
lecause it has not ietuined to an oiiginal sell, lut lecause it has not laced
the inevitalle lack ol oiiginality, the lact that it is always too late to ietuin
to an oiiginal sell.
Theie is a giotesque episode in the ;q novel Dangerous Games [Tehli-
keli Oyunlar| ly Ouz Atay, nastei ol iiony in the Tuikish novel. In this
dieanepisode, anencyclopedia ol Hiknet (the nainchaiactei ol the novel,
whose nane neans wisdon oi innei knowledge associated with the
East) is to le wiitten ly Hiknet hinsell and sone otheis. But it tuins out
in the diean that those otheis aie Englishnen and they have given up the
624 Nurdan Gurbilek
pioect, saying, The nan ol an undeideveloped countiy cannot have an
innei woild ol his own. The stiength ol Atays iiony lies in the lact that the
statenent is tiue and ol couise lalse at the sane tine. Anong othei things,
Atay told us alout the pain and angei acconpanying leelings ol inadequacy,
that leeling ol leing duped, that ol leing on the scene as a seivant and
a lool, lut he handled that vast psychic nateiial that is painlul and conic
at the sane tine loth ly disnantling the ionantic discouise ol victiniza-
tion deened piopei to the Eastein people and ly woiking thiough the litei-
aiy piollens ol lelatedness and aectation, piollens not only ol lelatedly
nodeinized liteiatuie lut ol all liteiatuie, itsell always lelated to what we
call individual expeiience. It was this woiking thiough, this innei knowl-
edge that the innei woild lecones innei to the extent it laces its own inevi-
talle dependency, which enalled Atay to cieate a genuine voice ol his own
in Tuikish liteiatuie.
Going lack to the ideal ol oiiginality so pivotal in Tuikish liteiaiy ciiticisn,
I will say that the two seeningly diveigent appioaches shaie the sane ieily-
ing paiadign assuning a nechanical ielationship letween the sell and the
othei. The ist (We dont have anoiiginal novel) takes oiiginality as a stan-
daid applied neiely to oui clunsy ieality, taking the Westein nodel itsell
as a nonunent ol oiiginality, while the second (inviting us to go lack to
oui selves) disiegaids the lact that this sell is alieady shaped ly the othei,
that the eoit to pioduce a national liteiatuie, an oiiginal novel, an autono-
nous aesthetic cultuie in a lelatedly nodeinized cultuie itsell is inevitally
a lelated stiategy. This is the doulle-lind ol Tuikish ciiticisn, tieating its
olect eithei as a snollish endeavoi oi as sonething piinitive, childlike,
and piovincial. But this is also the souice ol ciitical authoiity. The ciitic
theiely lecones eithei the guaidian ol an oiiginality that is piesuned to
le elsewheie oi that ol a iepiessed tiue sell unalle to speak with a language
its own.
Yet Tuikish liteiaiy ciiticisnust like the Tuikish novel itsellwas
loin in the nidst ol anlivalent leelings ol adniiation and contenpt, lasci-
nation and anxiety, lelt leloie Euiopean cultuie. In othei woids, it was loin
as an anxious eoit to explain the gieat lack. This gives it the alility to le
in enpathy with the novel. But its eoit to walk one step ahead, inposing
a iigid standaid ol oiiginality to the novelist, naking an invoice ol loieign
Dandies and Originals 625
delts, linits loth itsell and the novel. Rathei than a sinple-heaited call loi
oiiginality, iathei than constantly iepioducing the discouise ol lack and vic-
tinization, ciiticisnshouldwoik withconcepts that canappieciate the acci-
dents and tiaunas that nake up the space we call self, concepts that ielate
cultuial lelatedness to the lelatedness ol liteiatuie, ol not only lelatedly
nodeinized liteiatuie lut all nodein liteiatuie, which is always lelated to
a genuine expeiience. I think that is the nonent in ciiticisn when loth
nodein aiiogance and ionantic piide nay lade out.
Notes
Giegoiy ]usdanis, Belated Modernity and Aesthetic Culture: Inventing National Literature
(Minneapolis: Univeisity ol Minnesota Piess, ).
z Daiyush Shayegan, Le Regard mutil: Schizophrnie culturelle: Pays traditionnels face la
modernit (Paiis: Allin Michel, 8), 8.
]ale Paila aigues that the Tuikish novel is loin into a latheilessness, not only lecause the
ist Tuikish novels weie alout latheiless loys, lut also lecause the ist novelists had to
assune the iole ol the lathei at an eaily age, leing authoiitative childien thenselves,
to conpensate loi the lack ol political and intellectual powei in the society at laige. ]ale
Paila, Babalar ve Oullar (Istanlul: letiin Yaynlai, o).
q Oihan Koak, Kaptiln deal: Mai ve Siyah zeiine Psikanalitik Bii Denene, Toplum
ve Bilim, no. ;o (6): qz.
Foi Tanpnais ienaiks on the sulect, see Bizde Ronan ( and z), Milli Bii Edeliyata
Doiu, and Tuik Edeliyatnda Ceieyanlai, all in Ahnet Handi Tanpnai, Edebiyat
zerine Makaleler (Istanlul: DeighYaynlai, z). Also see Ahnet Handi Tanpnaila
Bii Konuna, in Yaadm Gibi (Istanlul: Deigh Yaynlai, zooo).
6 Tanpnai, Milli Bii Edeliyata Doiu, .
; Koak, Kaptiln deal, 8, q;.
8 In Tuikish, alafranga is the lelittling tein loi Fiench style, sonething oi soneone
snollish, initating Euiopeanways andalaturka is the lelittling teinloi Tuikishstyle,
sonething oi soneone stuck in the naiiow tiaditional woild.
Halit Ziya Uaklgil was accused ol escapisn, decadence, and supeicial Westeinisn
not only ly his Ottonan contenpoiaiies lut also ly the liteiaiy guaidians ol the newly
loined Tuikish Repullic. Foi Tanpnais ienaiks, see Ahnet Handi Tanpnai, Yahya
Kemal (Istanlul: Yap Kiedi Yaynlai, zoo), 6.
o Fethi Naci, Huzui, in Yzyln Yz Roman (Istanlul: Adan Yaynlai, ), zq,
Mehnet Kaplan, Bii aiiin Ronan: Huzui, Trk Dili ve Edebiyat Dergisi, Decenlei ,
6z, ;8. See also Beina Moian, Bii Huzuisuzluun Ronan, in Trk Romanna
Eletirel Bir Bak, vol. (Istanlul: letiin Yaynlai, 8;), z;q;. Foi a discussion ol
Suads evil-nindeddandyisn, see NuidanGuililek, KtuocukTuik(), inKtocuk
Trk (Istanlul: Metis Yaynlai, zoo), 6688.
Victoiia Holliook discusses how the seaich loi an oiiginaiy Tuikishness was acconpa-
626 Nurdan Gurbilek
nied ly the undeivaluation ol tiaditional nodes ol expiession as Ottonan, stating that
to le oiiginal was to le Tuikish, not Ottonan. The Unreadable Shores of Love: Turkish
Modernity and Mystic Romance (Austin: Univeisity ol Texas Piess, q), z.
z Mehnet Kaplan, Zeynep Keinan, and nci Enginun, eds., Atatrk Devri Fikir Hayat II
(Ankaia: Kultui Bakanl Yaynlai, 8), , enphasis added.
Ian Watt, The Rise of the Novel (London: Penguin, ;z), .
q Foi a discussion ol the ielation letween Tuikish nationalistic ideals and Westein philo-
logical techniques, see Holliook, Unreadable Shores, .
Cenil Meii, Krk Ambar, vol. ol Rmuz-l Edeb (Istanlul: letiinYaynlai, 88), .
6 Recaizade Mahnut Ekien, Araba Sevdas, ed. Seyit Kenal Kaiaaliolu (Istanlul: nkilap
Kitalevi, 8). Ekiens novel was ist pullished in 86.
; Tanpnai, Ronana ve Ronancya Daii Notlai III, Reci Zde Mahnud Ekien, in
Edebiyat zerine Makaleler, 6; and zq8, Reci Zde Mahnud Ekien Bey, in Tan-
pnai, . Asr Trk Edebiyat Tarihi, vol. (Istanlul: stanlul niveisitesi Edeliyat Fakul-
tesi Yaynlai, 6), q6;6.
8 The Tuikish tein zppe is used loi loth the dandy and the snol. Snobbism is genei-
ally dened as a llatant initation and the state ol openly seeking association with the
supeiioi othei and ielung those iegaided as inleiioi, wheieas dandyism is distin-
guished ly loth an exaggeiated attention to peisonal appeaiance and a cold indieience,
a pietension to sell-suciency and an ascetisn loi the sake ol desiie, as Ren Giiaid
puts it, the dandy acting as a nagnet loi unattached desiies. But in this essay I dont
attiilute a signicant dieience to the teins dandyism and snobbism. Bihiuz is loth a
Westeinized dandy and a snol, paying exaggeiated attention to howhe looks, openly ini-
tating the supeiioi othei, ielung his own people, cultuie, and language as inleiioi.
Ren Giiaid aptly discusses liteiaiy dandyisnwithin the lioadei context ol snollisnin
Deceit, Desire, and the Novel: Self and Other in Literary Structure, tians. Yvonne Fiecceio
(Baltinoie: The ]ohn Hopkins Univeisity Piess, 88), 6z6q.
Beina Moian, Trk Romanna Eletirel Bir Bak, vol. (Istanlul: letiinYaynlai, 8;),
;. Foi an essay on the tiansloination ol the dandy guie in Tuikish novel, see Moians
Alalianga Zuppeden Alalianga Haine in the sane volune.
zo eiil Maidin, Tanzinattan Sonia Ai Batllana, in Trk Modernlemesi (Istanlul:
letiin Yaynlai, zooo), z;.
z Paila, Metinlei Laliientinde Bii Sevda: Araba Sevdas, in Babalar ve Oullar, ozq.
See also ]ale Paila, stanlulda ki Don Kiot: Meczup Okuidan Sal Okuia, in Berna
Morana Armaan: Trk Edebiyatna Eletirel Bir Bak, ed. Nazan Aksoy and Bulent Aksoy
(Istanlul: letiin Yaynlai, ;), zo6.
zz Henii Lelelvie, Modern Dnyada Gndelik Hayat, tians. In Guiluz (Istanlul: Metis
Yaynlai, 6), o.
z Tuikey is one ol the leading countiies in tiac accidents. The canpaign to pievent tiac
accidents has the slogan Stop the Tiac Monstei Inside You.
zq Tanpnai, . Asr, q6;6.
z Yahya Kenal, Edebiyata Dair (Istanlul: Yahya Kenal Enstitusu Yaynlai, ;), zo.
z6 Cenil Meiis angiy (lut lucid) ienaiks ieect the awaieness ol the inpossilility ol a
loitunate dialogue letween the East and the West, that the tiansition lion irfan [East-
Dandies and Originals 627
ein spiiitual knowledge| to cultuie inevitally involves loth a loss ol integiity and the
inpossilility ol going lack to an oiiginal sell: Getting to know ouiselves . . . theie aie
a ciowd ol guests living all ly thenselves in the cellais ol oui soul . . . knowing onesell,
knowing that which is nelting, dispeising, tuining into snoke. You aie the sane with
youi pains, shanes and degiadations, lut the othei with youi dieans, aspiiations, and
wishes. Cenil Meii, Bu lke (Istanlul: letiin Yaynlai, 8), zqq.
z; Paila states that The Carriage Aair is the textual negation ol the idea that two antago-
nistic epistenological systens can coexist. Babalar ve Oullar, o.
z8 Beina Moian points out the sinilaiity letween Don Quixote and Bihiuz, loth chaiacteis
living in the inaginaiy woild ol theii own cieation. Moian, Trk Romanna Eletirel Bir
Bak, 6. Roleit Finn states that Bihiuz ieninds one ol Enna Bovaiy since he too is a
chaiactei exenplilying liles initation ol ait. Roleit Finn, Trk Roman, tians. Toniis
Uyai (Istanlul: Bilgi Yaynevi, 8q), . Suha Ouzeiten has also conpaied The Car-
riage Aair with Don Quixote, saying that loth novels involve a ciitique ol the idealized
discouise ol love in the ionances. Suha Ouzeiten, Taklit Aklaidan Taklit Ronan-
laia: Genel Kadn Yazail, Toplum ve Bilim, no. 8 (): 68. Cenil Meii undeilines
the liteiaiy kinship letween Don Quixote and Enna Bovaiy, saying that Enna Bovaiy
is the sistei ol the hidalgo ol La Mancha. Meii, Krk Ambar, zo.
z We cant speak ol a Flauleitian inuence on Ekien. The authoi ol Madame Bovary
enteied the Tanzimat scene latei. It was Ali Kenal, the authoi ol Edebiyyat- Hakikiyye
Dersleri, and Ahnet uayl, the authoi ol Hayat ve Kitaplar, who intioduced Flauleit to
the Tanzimat ieadei. See Meii, Krk Ambar, z8, and Beii Ayvazolu, Gelenein Direnii
(Istanlul: Otuken Neiiyat, ;), 6.
o Gustave Flauleit, Madame Bovary (Boston: Houghton Miin, 6), o.
Fianco Moietti, The Way of the World: The Bildungsroman in European Culture (London:
Veiso, zooo), ;.
z Giiaid, Deceit, .
Giiaid, Deceit, and 6.
q Moietti states that the desiiing sulect, dailing ol the ;os, inteipieted as a loice hos-
tile to the social oidei, de-legitinizing, even sulveisive, designates the the newhunan
type geneiated ly the capitalist netiopolis. Moietti, The Way of the World, 66.
Foi a detailed ciitique ol Giiaid and its possille application to the Tuikish novel, see
Guililek, Ronann Kaianlk Yuzu, Virgl, no. q (zooz): 8.
6 One ol the wiiteis who neatly aiticulated the piovincial lases ol leing a lookwoin
(the desiie and also the inpossilility ol changing places) is Cenil Meii, who adoied
Balzac, Hugo, and Chateauliiand and lecane an intellectual nostly ly ieading novels.
He says that he took ieluge in the peacelul seclusion ol looks lion that noisy woild
he had diilted into lecause ol piovincial cuiiosity. Books weie ny hailois. I lived in
looks. I loved the people in looks noie than those in the stieet. The look was ny pii-
vate gaiden . . . I was in exile. My honeland was the Spain ol Don Quixote, the town ol
Enna Bovaiy. Then I net Balzac, I lived the whole centuiy in hin, sonetines leconing
aVautiin, sonetines a Rastignac, living loui thousand lives inloui thousand chaiacteis.
Meii, Krk Ambar, 6.
; The lact that Ekien aesthetically tianscends his own Bihiuzisn (his adniiation ol the
628 Nurdan Gurbilek
Fiench ionantics) ly cieating the eeninate Bihiuz while Flauleit aesthetically tian-
scends his own Bovaiysn (his own ciaze loi ionantic novels) ly cieating a lenale chai-
actei is thought piovoking. Andieas Huyssen states that wonan (Madane Bovaiy) is
positioned as the ieadei ol inleiioi liteiatuiesulective, enotional and passivewhile
nan (Flauleit) eneiges as the wiitei ol genuine, authentic liteiatuieolective, iionic,
andincontiol ol his aesthetic neans. Andieas Huyssen, Mass Cultuie AsWonan: Mod-
einisns Othei, in Studies in Entertainment: Critical Approaches to Mass Culture, ed. Tania
Modleski (Bloonington: Indiana Univeisity Piess, 86), 8o.