Search for Community in Alan Hollinghurst's Novels
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T.C. İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı Bilim Dalı Doktora Tezi Fatherless Men and Homeless Love: Search For Community in Alan Hollinghurst’s Novels Gökçen Ezber 2502050014 Tez Danışmanı Doç.Dr. Murat Seçkin İstanbul 2012 Fatherless Men and Homeless Love: Search for Community in Alan Hollinghurst’s Novels Gökçen Ezber ÖZ Bu çalışmanın amacı, çağdaş İngiliz romancı Alan Hollinghurst’ün The Swimming- Pool Library (1988), The Folding Star (1993), The Spell (1998) ve The Line of Beauty (2004) adlı romanlarındaki eşcinsel erkek karakterlerinin kimlik arayışlarını psikanalizin nesne-ilişkileri kuramı ve queer kuram ışığında çözümlemektir. Hollinghurst’ün romanları incelendiğinde, eşcinsel erkek karakterlerin benliklerini ve kimliklerini oluşturmada zorluklar yaşadıkları, bu nedenle toplumun tanımlanmış sınırları içinde kendilerine bir yer bulup, bir aidiyet duygusu içinde, toplum tarafından meşru olarak kabul edilen herhangi bir topluluğun parçası olamadıkları görülmektedir. Çalışmada ortaya çıkan sonuç, Hollinghurst’ün eşcinsel erkek karakterlerinin başarısızlıkla sonuçlanan kimlik ve topluluk arayışlarının onları, kendilerini gerçekleştirme anlamında alternatif yollara yönlendirdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma kapsamında incelenen edebi karakterler, hetero-normatif toplumda bir yer edinip kendilerine ‘meşru’ bir kimlik kuramadıkları için, varoluşlarını edebiyat, cinsellik ve estetik kaygılar çerçevesinde oluşturma yoluna gitmektedir. Söz konusu karakterler, edebiyat ve kurmaca aracılığıyla kendilerini bir geleneğin ve tarihin parçası olarak konumlandırmaya; cinsel tatmin yoluyla toplum tarafından sürekli ve bilinçli bir biçimde yok sayılmalarını telafi etmeye; estetik tutkuları aracılığıyla da benliklerini güçlendirmeye çabalamaktadırlar. Çalışmanın sonucunda, alternatif yollarla ve toplumun desteğini almadan kendi varoluşunu kurmaya çalışan Hollinghurst’ün eşcinsel erkek karakterlerinin, kendilerine rol model olarak bir baba figüründen yararlan(a)madıkları, eşcinsel arzularının da toplum tarafından kabul edilmediği ortaya çıkmaktadır. Toplumun eşcinsel erkeğe biçtiği bu babasızlık ve yersizlik, Hollinghurst’ün romanlarında betimlendiği gibi, onu ‘meşru’ bir varoluş alanından ve kendine bir kimlik oluşturacağı, topluluk içinde bir aidiyet duygusundan yoksun bırakmaktadır. iii ABSTRACT The aim of the present study, in dialogue with the objects-relations theory of psychoanalysis and queer theory, is to analyse the homosexual man’s search for community in Alan Hollinghurst’s novels The Swimming-Pool Library (1988), The Folding Star (1993), The Spell (1998) and The Line of Beauty (2004). An analysis of Hollinghurts’s novels reveal the fact that the homosexual male characters have difficulties in building their selves and identities and hence they cannot find legitimate places in society and be part of a community. The present study reveals that the failed search of Hollinghurst’s homosexual characters for an identity and community leads them to alternative ways of self-realisation. Because they cannot build themselves ‘legitimate’ identities, the literary characters analysed within the scope of this study try to reach self-fulfillment through literature, sexuality and aesthetics. Through literature and fiction, the homosexual man tries to position himself in a tradition and history; through sexual gratification he attempts to compensate for his continuous alienation and ignorance by society and through aesthetic concerns he tries to strengthen his self. The study pursues its final claim that the homosexual man in Hollinghurst’s novels, who tries to realise his self- fulfillment without the support of society and through alternative ways, is (left) without a fatherly role-model and his homosexual desire is not legitimised by society. The fatherlessness and homelessness ascribed to the homosexual man by society prevent his self-realisation and denies him a sense of belonging in a community through which he could build himself an identity. iv FOREWORD This study aims at understanding the homosexual man’s search for community as depicted in the contemporary British novelist Alan Hollinghurst’s novels The Swimming-Pool Library, The Folding Star, The Spell and The Line of Beauty. The analyses of the four novels and the arguments around them unfold in dialogue with psychoanalysis and queer theory. It is within the conceptual boundaries of these seemingly contradictory, but inherently convergent schools of thought that the dynamics of selfhood and identity of the homosexual man in Hollinghurst’s novels will be anlaysed. The final argument of the present study pursues the claim that in order to resolve the inner conflict of the homosexual man, caused by the problematic relationship between himself and the family and society, he has to invest in the aesthetics, sexual gratification and the world of fiction. These alternative modes of existence offer him a home and surrogate fathers around which he can build himself a coherent self. The essential homelessness and fatherlessness of the homosexual man compels him to seek meaning and gratification in erotic, fictional and aesthetic pursuits which in turn create a sense of community. It is a great pleasure to express my deepest and sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Associate Professor Murat Seçkin, for his support and encouragement throughout my postgraduate studies. His academic and inspirational contribution was invaluable to the completion of this dissertation. I am also deeply grateful to Associate Prof. Oğuz Cebeci for widening the scope of this dissertation by urging me to integrate psychoanalysis into my analysis. My thanks also go to other members of my committee; namely Prof. Esra Melikoğlu, Prof. Nazan Aksoy and Associate Proffessor Özden Sözalan. I would also like to thank to Prof. Zeynep Ergun, Dr. Ekin Öyken, Dr. Bahar Eriş, Dr. Şebnem Sunar, Dr. Buket Akgün and Hüseyin Beköz, MD for having always been there for me to share their invaluable ideas and suggestions about my dissertation. Their friendship has been the greatest encouragement I have had during the writing of this dissertation. v Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without the love and patience of Adem Ünlü, who has stood beside me in these last six years of my life which coincided with my PhD studies. Not only did he endevour to keep me reasonably sane and cheerful throughout this process, he also spent long hours providing me with constant support, patience and most importantly a warm home filled with love. vi CONTENTS Öz …………………………………………………………………………………. iii Abstract …………………………………….………………….……………………iv Foreword ……………………………………...….…………….……………………v Contents ……………………………………...….…………………………………vii Introduction …………………….……………………...….…………………………1 Chapter 1: The Theoretical Framework ……………...….….…..………………12 1.1. Selves ……………...….….………..………………………………..18 1.1.1. The Creative Self .………..…………………………………18 1.1.2. The Social Self .………..……………………………………21 1.1.3. The Seeds of Self .…………..………………………………26 1.1.4. The Crumbling Self .……………..…………………………29 1.2 Identities ……………..…...….….………..…………………………34 1.2.1. The Queer Identity .………………..…………………………34 1.2.2. The Sexual Identity .………………..……………...…………41 1.2.3. The Performative Identity .………………..…………….……45 1.2.4. The Hierarchic Identity .…………………..…………….……48 1.3 Communities .…………………..…………….……………………..51 1.3.1. Fictional Communities .…………...………..…………….…56 1.3.2. Erotic Communities .…………..…...………..…………….…57 1.3.3. Aesthetic Communities .……….…...………..…………….…59 Chapter 2: Canonizing the Queer ……………...…………………………….…..61 2.1. The British Gay Novel Tradition .………….…...………..…………61 2.2. Alan Hollinghurst .……………………...….…...………..…………70 Chapter 3: Fatherless Men .…………...……….……...….…...………..…………81 3.1. Men of the Underworld .……………...…….…...………..…………84 3.2. Men Roaming .…………….................…….…...………..…………92 3.3. The Primal Father .…………..……...…….…...………..…………102 3.4. Men Reading .……………...…….…...……………..…..…………107 3.5. Men Writing .……………...……………….…...………..…………118 vii Chapter 4: Merchants of Fetish .……………..……...…….…...………..………126 4.1. The Man and the Boy .……………....…….…...………..…………130 4.2. Erotic Triangles .………………….....…….…...………..…………147 4.3. The Artist as Father .……………...…...….…...………..………… 152 4.4. The Fetish as Father .……………...…...….…...………..…………160 4.5. The Homosexual Psyche .………………...…….…...………..……162 Chapter 5: A Dream in Vain .……………………….…….…...….…..…………167 5.1. Traffic of Men .……………...…….…...………..…………………168 5.2. Architecture and Men .……………...…….…...………..…………180 5.3. Sons and Men .……………................…….…...………..…………189 5.4. Men in Dichotomies .…...…………...…….…...………..…………197 5.5. The Homosexual Father .……………...…….…...…………...……204 Chapter 6: Homeless Love .……………………….…….…...………..…………208 6.1. Men in the City .……………..……...…….…...………..…………209 6.2. Men in the House .………………......…….…...………..…………214 6.3. Masters of Men .………………..…...…….…...………..…………219 6.4. Men in the Community .………..………...…….…...………..……227 6.5. The Man and the Illness .………….………...…….…...………..…230 Conclusion .……………...……………...….…...………..………………………..242 Bibliography .………………...…….…...………..………………………………..246 Illustrations .……………...…….…...………..……………...…………………….259 Curriculum Vitae (Özgeçmiş) .……………....…….…...………..……………...…261 viii ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Title cover of William Hogarth’s The Analysis of Beauty …………………...259 Figure 2. Drawing of the shape of ogee, the line of beauty, from William Hogarth’s The Analysis of Beauty, 1753…………………………….260 ix INTRODUCTION ‟But why, O foolish boy, so vainly catching