Söylem Journal of Philology

Abstract

This study is about the evaluation of İnce Memed 1, written by Yaşar Kemal, in terms of tragedy, both in terms of the plot and the prominent characters of the novel. In the light of Aristotle's principles on tragedy in Poetics, the study will question whether İnce Memed 1 can be considered as a tragedy. While developing this view, it will be argued that while classical tragedies in Ancient Greece were embodied by the interventions of the gods, in modern times, narratives take on the character of tragedy under the pressure of social, political, cultural or historical conditions and boundaries (in other words, norms). The place of structural elements such as “catharsis” (emotional purification), “anagnorisis” (recognition, enlightenment, learning), “peripetie” (turn of fortune), “hamartia” (fatal mistake), “hübris” (personal weakness, bad temper) and “pathos” (bitter event), which constitute a tragedy, in the novel that constitutes the sample of the article will be examined, and at the same time, the functionality of these elements in a modern literary narrative will be investigated. In this context, it will be argued that İnce Memed 1 is constructed with a tragic plot and this quality of the novel makes the author's socialist message more effective. Furthermore, by focusing on İnce Memed and Hatçe, it will be claimed that these two are tragic heroes. In this way, it is aimed to place İnce Memed 1 in a universal framework.