Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences (Jul 2019)

Halide Edib’s “Hamlet”: Complete Works of Shakespeare in English Literature Seminar Work

  • Aslı ARABOĞLU

DOI
https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.490511
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 3
pp. 990 – 1003

Abstract

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Hamlet which is a typical Shakespearean tragedy and which is one of the most fascinating plays of him has been translated into Turkish many times and published by different publishing houses. Translation of Hamlet by the author and translator Halide Edib Adıvar and her student Vahit Turhan (1941) reaches to the reader as a kind of an educative text with its informative introduction part in addition to the translation. Translation which also included detailed information about the author, the main text and the character analysis was prepared as ―a complete work‖ (külliyat). Translators added notes within an introduction part (mukaddime) as distinct from other translations at that period. Besides, it can be said that by choosing Turkish words specifically and adding ―preface‖ (ilk söz), ―endnotes‖ and using various translation strategies, they preferred to be more visible. It‘s thought that the impression of reading Halide Edib Adıvar‘s Hamlet is given to the reader in addition to reading the translation of Hamlet. Halide Edib Adıvar shapes the text with both her translator and author identity. It‘s expected from the readers that, they would become equipped with the period, the author, characters and intertextual references by reading these paratexts. Thus it was tried to avoid any probability of not being comprehended by the reader in that way. In this study, paratexts (introduction, preface and endnotes) that were added to the main text apart from the translation will be handled with paratextuality based on Gérard Genette‘s Transtextual Theory. Paratexts are thought to present the reason of why the source text has been selected. Accordingly the theoretical side of this study is based on Gideon Toury‘s theory about norms and limitations and his article of ―The Nature and Role of Norms in Translation‖ will be used at this study. Norms that rules the translation process will be tried to be identified by using paratexts. Within this scope, how the source text was transformed to ―a complete work‖ by using paratexts and target text will be discussed. Through getting samples from translation solutions, initial and preliminary norms which were placed in ―preface‖ (ilk söz) and ―introduction‖ (mukaddime) will be specified. In this regard the aim of this study is to show how the text can be shaped by the author identity of the translator with paratexts.

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