A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DISCONTENT WITH MODERNITY AND MODERNIZATION IN THE NOVELS OF A. L. HUXLEY AND A. H. TANPINAR A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY HİLAL KAYA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH LITERATURE DECEMBER 2014 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nurten Birlik 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. Asst. Prof. Dr. Elif Öztabak-Avcı Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Nursel İçöz (METU, FLE) Asst. Prof. Dr. Elif Öztabak-Avcı (METU, FLE) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mine Özyurt Kılıç (DOGUŞ U, FEF) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nazan Tutaş (ANKARA U, DTCF) Asst. Prof. Dr. Margaret Sönmez (METU, FLE) 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. Name, Last name : Hilal Kaya Signature : iii ABSTRACT A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DISCONTENT WITH MODERNITY AND MODERNIZATION IN THE NOVELS OF A. L. HUXLEY AND A. H. TANPINAR KAYA, Hilal Ph.D., English Literature Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Elif ÖZTABAK-AVCI December 2014, 346 pages The aim of this dissertation is to explore Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s philosophical and fictional engagement with Aldous Leonard Huxley in relation to the issues of modernity and modernization. Being attentive to the cultural specificities informing the work of each writer, this project has set out to find to what extent Tanpınar adopts, revises and/or contests Huxley’s attitude towards modernity and modernization in his novels. This dissertation argues that Huxley and Tanpınar make a criticism of the understanding of the modern which is based on the liberal narrative of modernity by writing satirical novels of ideas. Some theoretical concepts developed later by the Frankfurt School thinkers like Adorno, Horkheimer and Marcuse will be used as a theoretical framework to explore better Huxley’s problematization of modernity. The ideas of Henri Bergson, Walter Benjamin, Sufism and Multiple Modernities will also be used as a theoretical framework to discuss Tanpınar’s approach to modernity. This study aims to contribute not only to the scholarship on Tanpınar’s fiction but also to the critical studies on Huxley, whose works of fiction have rarely been examined from an international perspective. With this end in view A. L. Huxley’s Point Counter Point (1928) and Brave New World (1932) and A. H. Tanpınar’s A Mind at Peace (1949) and The Time Regulation Institute (1961) will be studied in a comparative manner. Key Words: A.L. Huxley, A.H. Tanpınar, The Frankfurt School, Multiple Modernities. iv ÖZ A. L. HUXLEY VE A. H. TANPINAR’IN ROMANLARINDA MODERNİTE VE MODERNLEŞME MEMNUNİYETSİZLİĞİ ÜZERİNE KARŞILAŞTIRMALI BİR ÇALIŞMA KAYA, Hilal Doktora, İngiliz Edebiyatı Tez Yöneticisi: Yard. Doç. Dr. Elif ÖZTABAK-AVCI Aralık 2014, 346 sayfa Bu tezin amacı modernite ve modernleşme konularına ilişkin olarak Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’ın Aldous Leonard Huxley ile olan felsefi ve kurgusal diyaloğunu incelemektir. Yazarların metinlerindeki kültürel farklılıkları göz önünde bulunduran bu çalışma, Huxley’nin romanlarında modernite ve modernleşme konularına ilişkin tavrını, Tanpınar’ın kendi romanlarında ne ölçüde benimsediğini, gözden geçirdiğini ve/veya bu tavırla ne kadar çatıştığını bulmak amacıyla yola çıkmıştır. Bu tez Huxley ve Tanpınar’ın satirik fikir romanları yazarak, liberal modernite söylemine dayanan modern anlayışını eleştirdiklerini iddia etmektedir. Adorno, Horkheimer ve Marcuse gibi Frankfurt Okulu teorisyenleri tarafından sonradan geliştirilen bazı kuramlar, bu çalışma tarafından Huxley’nin modernite sorunsallaştırmasının daha iyi incelenmesi amacıyla kuramsal çerçeve olarak kullanılacaktır. Yine, Henri Bergson, Walter Benjamin, Tasavvuf ve Çoklu Moderniteler tarafından geliştirilen fikirler, Tanpınar’ın modernite yaklaşımını tartışmak için teorik çerçeve olarak kullanılacaktır. Ayrıca bu çalışma hem Tanpınar’ın edebi metinleri üzerine yazılmış olan eleştirel literatüre hem de edebi metinleri nadiren uluslararası bir perspektiften değerlendirilen Huxley araştırmalarına katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaçla, A.L. Huxley’nin Point Counter Point (1928) ile Brave New World (1932) ve A. H. Tanpınar’ın Huzur (1949) ile Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü (1961) adlı romanları mukayeseli bir şekilde çalışılacaktır. Anahtar Kelimeler: A.L. Huxley, A.H. Tanpınar, Frankfurt Okulu, Çoklu Moderniteler. v To my dear husband and daughter, Murat Utku Kaya and İda Kaya vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to Assist. Prof. Dr. Elif ÖZTABAK- AVCI for all the help and support she has given me throughout this study. Her enduring interest and positive attitude as well as her constant readiness and willingness to share valuable comments and suggestions have greatly contributed to the making of this thesis. I would also like to express my gratefulness to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mine ÖZYURT KILIÇ and Assist. Prof Dr. Margaret J. M. SÖZMEZ, whose comments and observations especially at the initial stages of this study have perfectly illuminated the later stages, too. Their lasting faith in me throughout has also been a constant source of guidance, motivation and encouragement. Prof. Dr. Nursel İÇÖZ and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nazan TUTAŞ have all read and examined this study with great care and interest. I am indebted to them for their meticulous assessment, constructive criticism, illuminating questions, and suggestions for improvement. Prof. Dr. Ayten C. BEAR has been ready to listen, encourage, and reassure throughout. Talking to them is always a source of comfort. I am thankful for their genuine interest in what I do. My friends have all been helpful and considerate throughout. I thank them not only for being good listeners and supporters but also for tolerating my long absences throughout the writing of this thesis. I would especially like to thank my best friend Murat Utku KAYA for his patience, tolerance and understanding right from the beginning. His presence is always reassuring, and he has a surprising way of boosting my spirits even when I am feeling down. I am much obliged to him for always being there to share, help, encourage, and motivate; especially during the times when I was pregnant with our baby, İda KAYA. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ………………………………………………….......... iii ABSTRACT …..………………………………………………………. iv ÖZ ……………………………………………………………….......... v DEDICATION ………………………………………………….......... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………….. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………….. viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………….……... 1 1.1 Literature Review …………………………………………….. 2 1.2 Theorizing Modernity and Modernization ………………….... 5 1.3 Modernity and Modernization in Huxley’s and Tanpınar’s Fiction ………………………………………………………....... 10 1.4 Methodology ………………………………………………….... 11 2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ……………………………....... 22 2.1 Conceptualizing Huxley’s Approach to the Modern, Modernity and Modernization ….…………………………….. 24 2.1.1 Jesting Pilate, Proper Studies and Do What You Will as Frameworks for Huxley’s Satirical Novels …………… 27 2.1.2 Mass Culture and Culture Industry …………………....... 41 2.1.3 Progress ………………………………………………….. 52 2.1.4 Work, Leisure and Pleasure …………………………….. 58 2.2 Conceptualizing Tanpınar’s Approach to the Modern, Modernity and Modernization ………………………………..... 65 2.2.1Tanpınar, Huxley and the Frankfurt School Theorists …………………………………………………... 81 2.2.2 Tanpınar’s Approach to the Modern ……………………… 87 2.2.2.1 Tanpınar and the Multiple Modernities viii Approach ………………………………………… 90 3. THE DIFFERING FORMULATIONS OF THE MODERN IN POINT COUNTER POINT AND A MIND AT PEACE ……….. 117 3.1 The Novel of Ideas …………………………………………….. 118 3.1.1 The Counterpoint Technique and the Musicalization of Fiction ……………………………………………….. 122 3.1.2 The Role of Setting in the Discussion of Leisure and Pleasure ……………………………………………. 137 3.2 Huxley’s and Tanpınar’s Ideas of the Modern as Represented through Characters …………………………………………….. 158 4. THE CORRESPONDING FORMULATIONS OF THE MODERN IN BRAVE NEW WORLD AND THE TIME REGULATION INSTITUTE ………………………………. 181 4.1 Satire and The Modern Satirical Novel ……………………… 182 4.1.1 Brave New World as a Satirical Dystopian Novel of Ideas …………………………………………………… 187 4.1.1.1 The Historical Context of Brave New World ………………………………………… 203 4.1.2 The Time Regulation Institute as a Satirical Allegory ……………………………………………… 213 4.1.2.1 The Historical Context of The Time Regulation Institute…………………………… 242 4.2 The Deconstruction of Temporal Binaries in Huxley’s and Tanpınar’s Configuration of the Modern: Multiple Experiences of Modernity……………………………………. 246 5. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………… 277 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………. 281 APPENDICES A. CITATIONS FROM TANPINAR’S WORK IN TURKISH …………………………………………………….. 311 B. TURKISH SUMMARY ………………………………………. 329 ix C. CURRICULUM VITAE …………………………………….. 345 D. TEZ FOTOKOPİSİ İZİN FORMU ………………………….. 346 x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This study analyses Aldous Leonard Huxley’s Point Counter Point (1928) and Brave New World (1932)