Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Milli Folklor, cilt.2020, sa.125, ss.82-99, 2020 (AHCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
René Girard has introduced a new approach to literary criticism with his model of the “triangular desire” (mimetic desire). In order to reveal the mimetic structure of desire, he describes various formations of the triangle comprising of a subject, an object and a mediator. He stresses that in this triple relationship where the spatial metaphor is a triangle, the triangle is permanent although the object may change in each adventure. He, however, by expressing that the novelistic genius he coined for the works that reveal the triangular structure can only be shaped by Christian symbolism, states that Christianity is universal. His statement apparently disregards the novelistic experience shaped by other beliefs and cultures. In this respect, by reducing his theory to a single religion he undermines its universality, which should otherwise be the common denominator of civilizations, i.e. universal. Hence the following questions: Is there any work of literature in Turkish which exemplifies the novelistic genius? Can novelistic experience be shaped by Islamic symbolism? Is it possible to find a common discourse in all religions that shapes novelistic experience? If such a discourse exists how should one interpret it? Without answers, the likelihood of agreeing with or criticizing Girard’s statement is improbable. An array of assumptions from the universality of his theory to the characteristics of the novelistic genius shaped by various cultures and civilizations would be scientifically proven, only when one dares to seek answers to those questions. This article analyzes Emine Işınsu’s biographic novel based on the Turkish mystic Yunus Emre, Bir Ben Vardır Bende Benden İçeri (There is a Self in Myself Deeper than Myself, 2002) within the framework of the triangular desire model. It is possible to find the novelistic genius in almost every Turkish novel based on a disciple-guide relationship. Among such works, however, the ones written on Yunus Emre occupy a special place. The information regarding Yunus Emre’s actual life is scarce, if any; a fact which renders his poems and the hagiography adorned with Islamic symbolism the major sources on the subject. Both sources reveal a remarkable similarity, an affinity between Yunus Emre and the modern man Girard portrays while developing his theory. Contrary to the convention, Yunus’s personality reflects the crisis and the dilemmas of the modern man. The paper examines the novel’s usage of the Sufi hagiography and terminology to scrutinize Bir Ben Vardır Bende Benden İçeri as an example of the novelistic genius shaped by Islamic symbolism. It identifies the symbols in the hagiography that nourish the novel and examines them. It demonstrates that Işınsu employs Islamic philosophy and the symbolic language as instruments enabling her to interpret the convention instead of merely rewriting it. It also underlines the author’s capacity to arrange and conceive the hagiographic narratives. In tandem with it, it argues that a biographical novel which is based on a mystic should display a competence in putting the hagiographic narratives in order and deciphering them as well as carrying an updating attitude instead of a reproducing one, if it is to be considered a novel. In sum, this study reveals the mimetic structure of desire in Bir Ben Vardır Bende Benden İçeri. By doing so, it shows that, despite Girard’s statement, the novelistic genius can also be shaped by Islamic symbolism. Therefore, it proves that the triangular desire model, which is supposed to be universal, is not confined to merely Christianity but is structured according to the particular belief and culture to which the novel belongs.