Folklor/Edebiyat (Aug 2016)
THE NARRATIVATION OF BOZA AS A CULTURAL ELEMENT IN THE NOVEL “A STRANGENESS IN MY MIND” / “KAFAMDA BİR TUHAFLIK” ROMANINDA KÜLTÜREL BİR ÖGE OLARAK BOZANIN ANLATILAŞTIRIMI
Abstract
In this study the alteration of the city culture and human types trying to harmonize with this alteration are being analyzed through the usage of hermeneutics and the theory and method of aesthetics of reception through the Mevlut figure who migrated from Konya Eregli to Istanbul. As narrated in the novel it can be said that new districts have emerged along with the city center of Istanbul as a result of internal migration and it makes Istanbul partly a rural city and those who immigrated from villages to Istanbul harmonize with urban culture in Istanbul. In the novel it is frequently emphasized that the immigrants can lead a life by working at service industry that requires a heavy productivity. The protagonist of the novel, Mevlüt sells boza and yoghurt like his father. The author who cares about the culture and history of the city, describes each component shaping the culture of daily urban life. The analysis can be based on the strangenesses in boza seller Mevlut’s mind and boza, which both constitutes the literary center of the novel and is narrativated in the novel as a traditional cultural value. Furthermore, to be successful in creating the main and secondary characters, Pamuk must have observed the working condition of boza and yoghurt sellers in order to know them in a better way and he makes use of their way of expressing themselves. In this way, the book “A Strangeness in My Mind” gains a feature of sound pluralism and intertextuality. This specific side of the novel is included in to the analysis in this study. Author of the novel, Orhan Pamuk, born in Istanbul, has an intense remembrance on boza and other similar elements of culture. As a result of this, this cultural colors and elements composing Istanbul’s cultural side can be largely seen in the analysis. As depicted in the novel, Boza is an alcoholic drink that gives people chance to spend time with amusement as an immanent for everyone.
