FAR FROM HUMANITY: THE REPRESENTATION OF MISANTHROPY IN A ROSE FOR EMILY AND TIMON OF ATHENS

Year 2024, , 421 - 434, 30.04.2024

Gamze Şentürk Tatar

https://doi.org/10.35379/cusosbil.1425638

Abstract

This paper aims to examine two misanthropic characters, Emily and Timon, who are depicted in American writer William Faulkner’s short story A Rose for Emily (1930) and British playwright William Shakespeare’s play Timon of Athens (1623). The concept of misanthrope is defined as “a person who dislikes humanity and avoids human society” (2010, p. 1130) in the Oxford English Dictionary. This concept is a combination of the Greek words “misein” meaning hate and “anthropos” meaning human. Misantropic characters, which we can describe as ‘enemies of humanity’, are often depicted in the literary works of various authors such as William S. Gilbert and Jonathan Swift. One of the most well-known misanthropist characters is Alceste character in Moliere’s 1666 play Le Misanthrope. The short story A Rose for Emily, one of the works this paper revolves around, tells the story of Emily Grierson, a mysterious and isolated character. Emily is a reclusive figure who lives in seclusion, clings to her past and has limited interaction with the outside world. Emily, who has withdrawn into herself under the influence of external factors such as her father, status and expectations of society from her, appears as a misanthropic character. As for the Timon of Athens, one of Shakespeare’s lesser known and staged plays, it is set around the tragic journey of a character named Timon. Timon, who is initially generous and loved by society, becomes completely alienated from the world and people turns into a misanthrope due to his disappointment with humanity and society. Despite written in different periods, these two works deal with two characters who are enemies of the humanity. In this regard, the aim of this study is to examine Emily and Timon’s misanthropic personalities, by addressing the processes of their detachment from society and touching on their similarities and differences. who is initially generous and loved by society, becomes completely alienated from the world and people turns into a misanthrope due to his disappointment with humanity and society. Despite written in different periods, these two works deal with two characters who are enemies of the humanity. In this regard, the aim of this study is to examine Emily and Timon’s misanthropic personalities, by addressing the processes of their detachment from society and touching on their similarities and differences.

Keywords

Misanthropy, A Rose For Emily, Timon of Athens

İNSANLIKTAN UZAK: EMİLY İÇİN BİR GÜL’DE VE ATİNALI TİMON’DA MİZANTROPİNİN TEMSİLİ

Abstract

Bu makale, Amerikalı yazar William Faulkner’ın Emily İçin Bir Gül (1930) adlı kısa öyküsüne ve İngiliz oyun yazarı William Shakespeare’in Atinalı Timon (1623) adlı oyununa odaklanarak bu eserlerde tasvir edilen Emily ve Timon adlı iki mizantrop karakterleri incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Oxford İngilizce Sözlüğü’nde mizantrop kavramı, “insanlıktan hoşlanmayan ve insan toplumundan kaçınan kişi” (2010, s. 1130) olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Kavram, Yunanca nefret anlamına gelen “misein” ve insan anlamına gelen “anthropos” sözcüklerinin birleşiminden oluşur. ‘İnsanlık düşmanı’ olarak ifade edebileceğimiz mizantrop karakterler, William S. Gilbert ve Jonathan Swift gibi çeşitli yazarlarca edebiyatta sıklıkla tasvir edilmiştir. En tanınmış mizantrop karakterlerden biri de Fransız oyun yazarı Moliere’in 1666 tarihli Adamcıl oyunundaki Alceste karakteridir. Bu çalışmanın merkezine koyduğu eserlerden biri olan Emily İçin Bir Gül adlı kısa hikâye, gizemli ve izole bir karakter olan Emily Grierson’ın hikâyesini anlatır. Emily inzivada yaşayan, geçmişine sıkı sıkıya bağlı ve dış dünyayla etkileşimi kısıtlı bir figürdür. Babası, statüsü ve toplumun ondan beklentileri gibi dış faktörlerin etkisiyle içine kapanan Emily, bir mizantrop olarak karşımıza çıkar. Shakespeare’in çok az bilinen ve sahnelenen oyunlarından olan Atinalı Timon oyunu ise Timon adlı bir karakterin trajik yolculuğu etrafında geçer. Başlangıçta cömert olan ve toplum tarafından sevilen Timon, insanlığa ve topluma karşı yaşadığı hayal kırıklığı nedeniyle dünyadan ve insanlardan tamamen uzaklaşır ve bir mizantropa dönüşür. Bu iki eser, farklı dönemlerde yazılmış olmalarına rağmen, iki insanlık düşmanı karakteri ele alır. Bu çalışmanın amacı da Emily ve Timon’un insan düşmanı kişiliklerini, toplumdan kopuş süreçlerini de ele alarak ve benzerlik ile farklılıklarına değinerek irdelemektir.

Keywords

Mizantropi, Emily İçin Bir Gül, Atinalı Timon

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