Bilkent Üniversitesi Ekonomi ve Sosyal Bilimler ... - Bilkent University

ABSTRACT
Daily Life of İstanbul and Music in Halide Edib Adıvar’s latest Novels
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including the historical reference materials used, cannot be regarded as historical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.
key words: history of everyday life, İstanbul, cultural symbols, music
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