Author(s): Mehmet ÖZDEMİR* Nahide İrem AZİZOĞLU
Ahmet Mithat Efendi was one of the most eminent writers in the Tanzimat period. He became one of the writers of his period whose works were most widely read. The novels by Ahmet Mithat Efendi feature the concept of public education. For that reason, the main topics in his works were social issues as well as misconceived Westernization. This study examines the following novels by Ahmet Mithat Efendi through archetypal criticism: Çengi, Çingene, Felatun Bey ile Rak?m Efendi and Dürdane Han?m. The term of archetype put forward by Jung is related to the subconscious elements of individuals and communities. The concept of archetypal criticism focuses on text, which is fundamentally based on the determination of the purpose of the text. The novel of Felatun Bey ile Rak?m Efendi compares the characters who understand the West in an accurate way to those who misapprehend it; the novel of Çengi discusses the drawbacks of superstitions; and the novels of Dürdane Han?m and Çingene addresses particularly the education of women and the perception of women at that time. The study utilized a descriptive method. As a result, the study identified and interpreted the archetypes in the subjects of place, education and foreign language, odalisque, minorities in the Ottoman Empire, musical instrument, women, and suicide. The novels by Ahmet Mithat Efendi frequently feature social structure and values, which is an indication that the novels of Ahmet Mithat Efendi reflect the general structure of the society.
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