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Representation of the Ottoman Orient in 18Th Century English Literature

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Representation of the Ottoman Orient in 18Th Century English Literature REPRESENTATION OF THE OTTOMAN ORIENT IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY HASAN BAKTIR IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH LITERATURE SEPTEMBER 2007 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences __________________ Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy __________________ Prof. Dr. Wolf König Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. __________________ Prof. Dr. Nursel İçöz Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Nursel İçöz (METU, FLE) _________________ Prof. Dr. Belgin Elbir (Ankara U, DTCF) _________________ Yrd. Doç. Dr. Margaret Sönmez (METU, FLE) _________________ Yrd. Doç. Dr. Nurten Birlik (METU, FLE) _________________ Yrd. Doç. Dr. Do ğan Bulut (Erciyes U. FEF) _________________ I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Hasan Baktır iii ABSTRACT REPRESENTATION OF THE OTTOMAN ORIENT IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE BAKTIR, Hasan Ph.D., English Literature Supervisor : Prof. Dr. Nursel İÇÖZ September 2007, This thesis studies the Representation of the Ottoman Orient in Eighteenth Century English Literature . The thesis argues that a comprehensive understanding of the representation of the Ottoman Orient in 18 th century English literature requires a new perspective; thus investigates different aspects of the interaction between the Ottoman Orient and 18 th century Europe. Said’s Orientalism discusses how European writers created a separate discourse to represent the Orient. The present thesis does not completely reject Said’s argument; rather it argues that there was also a dialogic and negotiating tendency which did not make a radical distinction between the East and the West. Relying on 18 th century pseudo-oriental letters, oriental tales and oriental travelogues the study tries to indicate that representation of the Ottoman Orient in 18 th century English literature was different from earlier centuries because developing critical and liberal spirit established a negotiation between the two worlds. The negotiation of the two worlds has been studied as a significant theme of the pseudo-oriental letters, oriental tales and oriental travelogues. The present study has tried to indicate how the critical and inquisitive spirit of the age of Enlightenment interanimated Oriental and European cultures. iv Keywords: Pseudo-oriental Letters, Oriental Tales, Travel Literature, Ottoman Orient, Negotiation, v ÖZ ONSEK İZİNC İ YÜZYIL İNG İLİZ EDEB İYATI’NDA OSMANLI DO ĞU DÜNYASININ TEMS İL ED İLMES İ BAKTIR, Hasan Doktora, İngiliz Edebiyatı Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Nursel İÇÖZ Eylül 2007, Bu tez Onsekizinci Yüzyıl İngiliz Edebiyatında Osmanlı Do ğu Dünyasının Temsil Edilmesi ’ni incelemektedir. Tez, Osmanlı Do ğu Dünyasının daha kapsamlı incelenebilmesi için do ğu ve batı dünyası arasında birçok alanda var olan etkile şimi göz önünde bulunduran bir yakla şımın gereklili ğini vurgulamaktadır ve her iki dünya arasında süregelmiş olan etkile şimi ön plana çıkarmaktadır. Edward Said’in Orientalism adlı eserindeki görü şler Batı’nın Do ğu dünyasını söylem olarak nasıl yarattı ğı üzerinde durmaktadır. Bu çalı şma Said’in görü şlerini çürütmek için yapılmamı ştır. Ancak Batı’da, Do ğu dünyasını tamamen öteki olarak görmeyen bakı ş açısının varlı ğına da dikkat çekmektedir. Bu çalı şmada Onsekizinci yüzyılda popüler olmu ş üç yazın türü, Sözde-Do ğu Mektupları, Do ğu Hikayeleri ve Gezi Edebiyatından yola çıkarak Osmanlı Do ğu Dünyası’nın Avrupa Edebiyatında temsil edilmesinin daha önceki dönemlerden farklılı ğı ele alınmı ştır. Onsekizinci yüzyılda geli şen Aydınlanma dü şüncesi Batı’nın Osmanlı Do ğu Dünyasına daha ele ştirel ve özgürlükçü bakı şına katkıda bulunmu ştur. Adı geçen yazın türlerinde Do ğu- Batı dünyasının nasıl bir diyalog içinde bulundu ğu ve kültürel benzerlikleri incelenmi ştir. Bu çalı şmada Onsekizinci Yüzyıl ele ştirel ve özgürlükçü bakı ş açısının Do ğu-Batı kültürlerininin birbirleri ile olan etkile şim sürecine katkıda bulundu ğu sonucuna varmı ştır. vi Anahtar sözcükler: Sözde-Do ğu Mektupları, Do ğu Hikayeleri, Gezi Edebiyatı, Osmanlı Do ğusu, Müzakere vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish first to express sincere gratitude and appreciation to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Nursel İÇÖZ for her valuable guidance and insight in the writing process. Thanks go to the jury members Prof. Dr. Belgin Elbir and Assist. Prof. Dr. Margaret Sönmez for their careful reading, valuable comments, critical and encouraging advice. I would also like to thank the other jury members Assist. Prof. Dr. Nurten Birlik and Assist. Prof. Dr. Do ğan Bulut for their suggestions and comments. To my wife, Nuray, I offer sincere thanks for her unshakable faith in me and her willingness to endure with me my endeavors. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM .................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................iv ÖZ ....................................................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1 1.1 Theoretical and Historical Background ..............................................1 1.2. Theoretical Background ….................................................................3 1.2.1. Orientalism and Representation of the Ottoman Orient …..……....3 1.2.2 Looking at the Representation of the Ottoman Empire from the Global and Negotiating Perspective of 18 th Century English Literature ………………………………………….….............18 1.3. Critical and Theoretical Assumptions of the Present Study ……….34 1.4. Limitations of the Present Study ….……………………….........35 2. INTERACTION BETWEEN THE OTTOMANS AND ENGLISH SOCIETY IN THE PSEUDO-ORIENTAL LETTERS AND INTRODUCTION OF THE FOREIGN OBSERVER TO 18 TH CENTURY ENGLAND ………………………………………………..36 ix 2.1. Introduction ......................................................................................36 2.2. The Representation of the Orient and Turks in the Pseudo-oriental Letters and the Development of the Foreign Observer ……..................................................................37 2.3. The Pseudo-Oriental Letters and Persian Observers in the Persian Letters ...................................................................51 2.4. The Negotiation of the Turkish Spy and Persian Letters in England ..........................................................66 2.5 Were the Ottomans Represented in Pseudo-oriental Letters? ........................................................................................76 Conclusion …….....................................................................................92 3. REPRESENTATION OF THE OTTOMAN ORIENT IN 18 TH CENTURY ORIENTAL TALES IN ENGLAND ………………….......94 3.1. Introduction ......................................................................................94 3.2 The Arabian Nights (1712) and Pseudo-oriental Tales in 18 th Century England ..............................................................................95 3.3. Rasselas: The Prince of Abyssinia (1759) .....................................103 3.3.1 Johnson’s Idea of the Orient and the Source of Rasselas ……..................................................................106 3.4.Representation of the Middle Eastern Orient in Vathek ……. …...121 3.4.1 William Beckford’s Biography and Vathek …….......122 3.4.2 William Beckford’s Source of the Oriental Perspective in Vathek …..………………126 x 3.4.3 Vathek’s Difference from Other 18th Century Pseudo-oriental Tales …….…………….136 Conclusion ………………………………………………….139 4. REPRESENTATION OF THE OTTOMAN WORLD IN 18 TH CENTURY TRAVEL-WRITING IN ENGLAND ……………………….141 4.1.Introduction ...............................................................................141 4.2. Barbary Captivity and Penelope Aubin’s Strange Adventure of Cont de Vinevil ....................................................144 4.3. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: Turkish Embassy Letters ……………………………………………..…………..155 4.4.Elizabeth Craven: A Journey through Crimea to Constantinople ………………………………………….….....171 Conclusion .......................................................................................181 5. CONCLUSION .........................................................................................183 REREFENCES …..............................................................................................191 Turkish Summary ……………………………………………………………. 201 Vitae …………………………………………………………………………. 220 xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Theoretical and Historical Background In eighteenth century European texts the Orient signifies Turkey, the Levant and the Arabian
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