“Galat'larda muazzam bir metin bulunur”: Robert Browning'in Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister ve Porphyria's Lover şiirlerinde Epizodik Bellek

Abstract

Epizodik bellek insan davranışlarını zihinde zaman yolculuğu vasıtasıyla tanımlar. Zihinde zaman yolculuğu kişiye şahsi geçmiş olayları öne getirerek karar verme şansını sunarken, spesifik bir durumu ileriye yönelik düşünmeyi sağlar ya da karşıolgusal durumları zihinde yaratır. Karar verebilmek için tüm düşüncelerin bakış açılarını dikkate almayı sağlayan Otonoetik bilincin yardımı ile kişiyi geçmiş, gelecek ve duruma bağlı vaziyetlere konumlandırmaya izin verir. Başka hiçbir bellek tipinde olmayan ve sadece epizodik bellek tarafından sağlanan bu eşsiz zihinde zaman yolculuğu, kişinin geçmiş anılarını yeniden inşa ederek planlama durumunu etkinleştirir. Bu teoriye bağlantılı olarak, bu çalışmanın amacı Robert Browning’in “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” ve “Porphyria’s Lover” şiirlerinde bulunan epizodik bellek oluşumlarını incelemektir. İlk şiir İspanyol keşişin arkadaşı rahip Lawrence’ı bahçe işlerini organize edip tamamladığı sırada izlerken onunla ilgili geçmişte yaşadığı yoğun hoşnutsuzluğunu monolog olarak aktarır. İspanyol keşiş, rahip Lawrence’ı saf olmayan duygulara kapılması için komplo kurarak epizodik bellekte ileriye yönelik düşünme ile ilişkilendirmiş olurken aynı zamanda rahip Lawrence’a olan düşmanlığını yaratan geçmişteki deneyimlerini açığa vurur. Epizodik bellek ile ilgili bir başka vaziyet de şiirin sonunda oluşturduğu karşıolgusal durumdur. Buna karşılık, “Porphyria’s Lover” okuyucunun bir sevgiliye karşı sağlıksız bir obsesyon gözlemlemesini sağlarken bir tutku suçu ile tanıştırır. Robert Browning okuyucuyu, gecenin detaylarını epizodik belleğini sergileyerek suç anına kadar adım adım anlatan Porphyria’nın dingin celladını tasvir ederek, anormal psikoloji ile aşina etmiştir.

Keywords

• epizodik bellek
• Otonoetik bilinç
• 3W teorisi
• Robert Browning
• Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister
• Porphyria’s Lover

“There’s a great text in Galatians”: Episodic Memory in Robert Browning’s Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister and Porphyria’s Lover

Abstract

Episodic memory defines human conduct through mental time travel which allows the individual a choice in decision-making by bringing forth personal past events, as well as future-thinking of a specific situation or creating counterfactual situations in the mind. It holds the capacity to position the individual in the past, future, and conditional states with the aid of autonoetic consciousness which provides the opportunity to consider all aspects of thoughts in order to make decisions. This unique mental time travel which is only provided by episodic memory and not by other memory types, reconstructs an individual’s memories from the past and activates the state of envisioning. In connection to this theory, this article’s aim is to analyse the occurrences of episodic memory in Robert Browning’s “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” and “Porphyria’s Lover”. The first poem is about a Spanish monk who delivers a soliloquy about the intense dislike he had experienced in the past as he watches his fellow monk Brother Lawrence organize and complete his gardening rounds. As the Spanish monk plots to allure Brother Lawrence into impure feelings which is connected to future-thinking in episodic memory, he also reveals his experiences in the past that had created his hostility towards Brother Lawrence. Another instance of episodic memory is found at the very end of the poem wherein he creates a counterfactual situation. On the other hand, “Porphyria’s Lover” introduces a crime of passion in which an unhealthy obsession of a lover is observed. Robert Browning acquaints the reader with abnormal psychology with his depiction of Porphyria’s serene executioner who reveals the details of the night one step at a time, right up to the act of crime by exposing his episodic memory.

Keywords

• episodic memory
• autonoetic consciousness
• 3W theory
• Robert Browning
• Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister
• Porphyria’s Lover

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