An Investigation of Detective and Fantastical Elements in 'Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban' by Selim Nüzhet Gerçek

Ercan Gürova

Article Details

An Investigation of Detective and Fantastical Elements in 'Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban' by Selim Nüzhet Gerçek

Authors:

Ercan Gürova

Publisher:

Hacettepe University

Main Topics:

Sanat ve Edebiyat

Journal:

Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.40 Issue 1, pp.46-57

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001281552

pISSN:

1301-5737

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Known as the first historian of the Turkish press, the first compilation director, and the writer of pioneering works especially in press and drama history, Selim Nüzhet Gerçek, serialised his novel titled Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban in 24 episodes in İleri newspaper in 1922. This study first aims to analyse the novel, which has been kept in the background for almost one hundred years, within the scope of The Features of Ottoman-Turkish Detective Fiction as part of Seval Şahins book titled Cinai Meseleler 2017. A second aim of the study is to examine the novel in terms of the main features of fantastic narration and to determine which features the novel contains in light of the arguments made by prominent scholars in the domain of the fantasy genre. In order to achieve this goal, the opinions of various scholars such as Rabkin, Jackson, Todorov, and Atterbery have been utilised. As a result of this two-dimensional investigation of the novel Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban, it is demonstrated that the novel is an original work that can be connected to the detective tradition in Ottoman-Turkish literature with its subjects, characters, and fiction. In addition, the fact that the novel contains various fantastic elements and has certain characteristics of the fantastic genre contributes to the originality of the work.

 Known as the first historian of the Turkish press, the first compilation director, and the writer of pioneering works especially in press and drama history, Selim Nüzhet Gerçek, serialised his novel titled Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban in 24 episodes in İleri newspaper in 1922. This study first aims to analyse the novel, which has been kept in the background for almost one hundred years, within the scope of The Features of Ottoman-Turkish Detective Fiction as part of Seval Şahins book titled Cinai Meseleler 2017. A second aim of the study is to examine the novel in terms of the main features of fantastic narration and to determine which features the novel contains in light of the arguments made by prominent scholars in the domain of the fantasy genre. In order to achieve this goal, the opinions of various scholars such as Rabkin, Jackson, Todorov, and Atterbery have been utilised. As a result of this two-dimensional investigation of the novel Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban, it is demonstrated that the novel is an original work that can be connected to the detective tradition in Ottoman-Turkish literature with its subjects, characters, and fiction. In addition, the fact that the novel contains various fantastic elements and has certain characteristics of the fantastic genre contributes to the originality of the work.

 Known as the first historian of the Turkish press, the first compilation director, and the writer of pioneering works especially in press and drama history, Selim Nüzhet Gerçek, serialised his novel titled Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban in 24 episodes in İleri newspaper in 1922. This study first aims to analyse the novel, which has been kept in the background for almost one hundred years, within the scope of The Features of Ottoman-Turkish Detective Fiction as part of Seval Şahins book titled Cinai Meseleler 2017. A second aim of the study is to examine the novel in terms of the main features of fantastic narration and to determine which features the novel contains in light of the arguments made by prominent scholars in the domain of the fantasy genre. In order to achieve this goal, the opinions of various scholars such as Rabkin, Jackson, Todorov, and Atterbery have been utilised. As a result of this two-dimensional investigation of the novel Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban, it is demonstrated that the novel is an original work that can be connected to the detective tradition in Ottoman-Turkish literature with its subjects, characters, and fiction. In addition, the fact that the novel contains various fantastic elements and has certain characteristics of the fantastic genre contributes to the originality of the work.

 Türk matbuatının ilk tarihçisi, ilk derleme müdürü olarak anılan; özellikle basın ve tiyatro tarihine dair öncü çalışmalara imza atmış Selim Nüzhet Gerçekin edebiyat tarihlerinde adına rastlanmayan romanı Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban 1922 yılında İleri gazetesinde yirmi dört bölüm olarak yayımlanmıştır. Bu araştırmanın amacı yaklaşık yüz yıldır gölgede kalmış olan bu romanı öncelikle Seval Şahinin Cinai Meseleler 2017 eserinde incelediği Osmanlı-Türk Polisiyesinin Özellikleri çerçevesinde değerlendirmektir. Araştırmanın bir diğer amacı da romanın fantastik anlatı türünün belli başlı özellikleri açısından incelenmesi ve önde gelen fantastik yazını düşünürlerinin görüşleri ışığında eserin hangi açıdan bu türe ait olduğunun saptanmasıdır. Bu amaca ulaşmak için Rabkin, Jackson, Todorov ve Atterbery gibi düşünürlerin görüşlerinden yararlanılmıştır. Meçhul Kuvvetlere Kurban romanı üzerine yapılan bu iki boyutlu araştırma sonucunda romanın konusu, karakterleri ve kurgusuyla Osmanlı-Türk edebiyatında polisiye geleneğe bağlanabilecek özgün nitelikte bir eser olduğu görülmektedir. Ayrıca, romanın çeşitli fantastik unsurlar ihtiva etmesi ve fantastik türünün belli başlı niteliklerini taşıması da eserin özgünlüğüne katkıda bulunmaktadır.

Article Details

Authors: Ercan Gürova

Publisher: Hacettepe University

Main Topics: Sanat ve Edebiyat

Journal: Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.40 Issue 1, pp.46-57

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2023

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001281552

pISSN: 1301-5737

Issues

Authors:

Ercan Gürova

Publisher:

Hacettepe University

Main Topics:

Sanat ve Edebiyat

Journal:

Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.40 Issue 1, pp.46-57

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001281552

pISSN:

1301-5737