The Oral and the Written in Ottoman Literature: The Reader Notes on the Story of Firuzşah

In contemporary studies of Ottoman literature, a two-layered scheme is used which divides Ottoman literature into two parts, ‘folk’ literature and ‘court’ literature. In these studies, the oral is totally attributed to folk literature, while court literature is considered entirely written. However, these two ways of producing, transmitting, and consuming literature, the oral and the written, have always existed together, nourishing and transforming each other. This book challenges the constructed binary opposition between the oral and the written in Ottoman literature studies, focusing on a popular work called the Story of Fîrûzşâh, widely read throughout the eighteenth century. For the purposes of this thesis, Fîrûzşâh is especially important because of its paratextual elements. The manuscript under study, actually the forty-fifth volume of the entire story, contains many marginal notes. These notes give information about the names of the public readers, and the places and dates of the public readings. In addition, there are notes that show the daily, aesthetic, and even political reactions of the readers in the eighteenth century. Depending on these reactions, four types of readers were identified and named the romantic, the pedantic, the foul-mouthed and the Janissary. Focusing on the case of the Story of Fîrûzşâh, it has been shown that aspects of oral culture and their everyday expressions can also be traced from written texts.


Satın Al

Künye

Kitabin Adi:

The Oral and the Written in Ottoman Literature: The Reader Notes on the Story of Firuzşâh

Yazar:

Elif Sezer

Baskı tarihi

2015

Dizi Adı:

History - 122

Baskı Adedi:

100

Sayfa:

306

Ebat:

13.5 x 21 cm.

Kağıt:

Enso 60gr.

Kapak:

Lom Tasarım Ofisi

Cilt/Kapak:

300 gr. Mat, Amerikan, 4 Renk

ISBN/Barkod:

978-605-9022-42-2

İçindekiler

LIST OF FIGURES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

NOTES ON TRANSCRIPTION

1. For the Transcription of the Manuscript (Appendix II)

2. For Quotes in the Body of the Book

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Different Versions of the Fîrûzşâh Story

The Forty-Fifth Volume of Hikâye-i Fîrûzşâh

Reader and Reading Notes on the Manuscript

CHAPTER 2

A DISCUSSION ON THE 'ORAL ITY' AND 'LITERACY'

CHAPTER 3

THE ORAL AND THE WRITTEN IN OTTOMAN CULTURE

The Role of the Teacher in Oral Transmission

The Oral/Written Interface in Ottoman Literature

CHAPTER 4

THE ELISION OF THE STORY OF FÎRÛZŞÂH IN THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD

'Folk Literature' Studies in the Republican Era

The Reasons behind the Elision of the Story of Fîrûzşâh .

The Story of Fîrûzşâh at the Interface between the Oral and the Written

The Story of Fîrûzşâh between Center and Periphery during the Eighteenth Century

CHAPTER 5

THE PARATEX OF THE FÎRÛZŞÂH MANUSCRIPT

Performative Elements on the Manuscript

Reading Notes: Readers, Locales, and Audiences of the Manuscript

CHAPTER 6

READER TYPES:

PEDANTIC, ROMANTIC, FOUL-MOUTHED, AND JANISSARY

The Romantic Poet

The Janissary Abdi Efendi

The Foul-Mouthed

The Pedantic as another Voice in the Polyphony

CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX I

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MANUSCRIPT

APPENDIX II

TRANSCRIPTION & FACSIMILE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX