AN ORİENTALİST PERSPECTİVE ON THE NOVEL CALLED FELÂTUN BEY AND RÂKIM EFENDİ
Research Article
AN ORİENTALİST PERSPECTİVE ON THE NOVEL CALLED FELÂTUN BEY AND RÂKIM EFENDİ
ABSTRACT
The novel Felâtun Bey ile Râkım Efendi, written by Ahmet Mithat Efendi was published in 1985. It is
among the remarkable works adapted to the novel by taking the subject of the ‘‘dandy’’ type in Turkish
Literature of the Tanzimat Era. The dandy that the ‘‘Westernization’’ effort of the Ottoman period presented
to our social life; Despite conscious Westernization, it is representative of people who degenerately desire
Westernization. The data on the domain of the degenerate culture in question not only show that the
Ottoman Empire could not be aligned with the traditional Eastern structure, but also reveal that it stood in
this structure as a trust. In this work, Ahmet Mithat Efendi wants to draw attention to Felâtun Bey, who
cannot grasp the essence of Western civilization and only tries to apply it formally. He puts, Râkım Efendi,
who has the opposite character of Felâtun Bey, against his character. These two contrasting features are
examples of the ‘‘Romanticism’’ movement. It is a movement that emerged to react to classicism. Contrary
to the principle of foresight and reason put forward by the Classicism movement, Romanticism turned all
the theories of classical teaching into the foreground by emphasizing the feeling and imagination. The
character of Felâtun Bey; He is a pretentious, snobby type who tries to live according to the customs and
lifestyles of the Western Franks. Due to its bad aspects, it is also in a bad situation towards the environment.
With the death of his father, he squandered the inheritance left to him. Another character of the novel,
Râkım Efendi, in a way reflects Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s own identity. It is the portrait of an Ottoman
gentleman, who is determined, gentle, respectful and always improving himself, idealized by the author and
adapted into his novel.
ÖZDEN, Y.,
(2023). AN ORİENTALİST PERSPECTİVE ON THE NOVEL CALLED FELÂTUN BEY AND RÂKIM EFENDİ. International Journal of Education and Philology, 4(2), 77-87. Arrival Date Posted By:https://ijep.ibupress.com/articles/an-orientalist-perspective-on-the-novel-called-fel-tun-bey-and-r-kim-efendi
