Abstract
TWO TRAGIC CHARACTERS OF THE KIRALIK KONAK: NAİM EFENDİ AND HAKKI CELİS
Literature is an artistic field influenced by society and effectively reflects socio-political transformations. The Westernization movements, which gained official status with the Tanzimat Decree (1839) and were implemented as a state policy, were also reflected in literary works. Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu (1889 – 1974), one of the important figures of Turkish literature, is among the writers who emphasized the social context in his works. Yakup Kadri's novel, Kiralık Konak (The Rented Mansion), published in 1922, is considered an important example of the reflection of social changes in literature. Kiralık Konak is structured around the Westernization processes of the Ottoman Empire and the social changes that took place in this context. In Kiralık Konak, the transformations experienced in the last period of the Ottoman Empire and the ways in which these are reflected in social relations are made visible. In the novel, which is structured around Naim Efendi's mansion, social, economic, and moral crises, the ways of existence of the novel's characters, the patterns of their relationships with each other, and their mental worlds are dealt with. This study will focus on the tragic existence of Naim Efendi, who represents the old generation with his values and lifestyle, and the young Hakkı Celis.
Keywords
Kiralık Konak, Naim Efendi, Hakkı Celis, westernisation, social change