Research Article

A Comparison Between Mehmed Uzun’s The Well of Destiny and Oguz Atay’s The Novel of A Scholar in the Context of Bildungsroman

Volume: 14 Number: 1 April 30, 2026
KU EN TR

A Comparison Between Mehmed Uzun’s The Well of Destiny and Oguz Atay’s The Novel of A Scholar in the Context of Bildungsroman

Abstract

Biographical novels are based on the lives of famous historical figures. As in some biographical novels the narration covers the entire life from childhood to death, they can be classified as part of the Bildungsroman genre. The Bildungsroman traces the intellectual and social development of individuals. In Kurdish literature, Mehmed Uzun’s novel The Well of Destiny and Oguz Atay’s The Novel of a Scholar from Turkish literature are examples of the Bildungsroman. This study compares The Well of Destiny and The Novel of a Scholar within the framework of comparative literature and in the context of the Bildungsroman. Consequently, both novels show that the intellectual and social development of the protagonists is closely followed throughout their lives. Mehmed Uzun narrates the life of Celadet Ali Bedirkhan, while Oguz Atay explores the life of Mustafa Inan using the Bildungsroman approach. The study emphasizes that the similarities between the works of Uzun and Atay are evident not only in terms of content, but also in terms of writing style, intellectual perspectives and patterns of personal development.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval is not required.

References

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  2. Alkan, H. (2023). Bildungsroman tradition in English literature. Livre de Lyon.
  3. Atay, O. (2011). The novel of a scholar (34th ed.). İletişim.
  4. Aydın, K. (2008). The perception of comparative literature in today’s postmodern context. Birey.
  5. Aydoğan, İ. S. (2014). Skepsis 2: Kurdish literature and the Kurdish novel. Rûpel Publications.
  6. Aytaç, G. (2009). The science of comparative literature. Say.
  7. Aytaç, G. (2012). An analysis of the modern Turkish novel. Doğubatı.
  8. Castle, G. (2019). The modernist bildungsroman. In S. Graham (Ed.), A history of the bildungsroman. Cambridge University Press.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Kurdish Language, Literature and Culture

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

April 30, 2026

Submission Date

September 2, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 17, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 14 Number: 1

APA
Kurt, Ş., & Yılmaz, F. (2026). A Comparison Between Mehmed Uzun’s The Well of Destiny and Oguz Atay’s The Novel of A Scholar in the Context of Bildungsroman. Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 14(1), 363-393. https://doi.org/10.18506/anemon.1776885