Exploring Ambiguity: Literary Significance of Holocaust Representation in Raymond Federman’s To Whom it May Concern

Abstract

As a significant literary tool and narrative technique, ambiguity is regarded as one of the most common and striking components of postmodern writing. The obscurity in its definition, context and usage leads researchers and literary critics to take interest in this concept and authors to refer to it frequently as well. In this sense, Raymond Federman’s To Whom It May Concern is one of the novels in which ambiguity, as a narrative technique, emerges overtly. This study tries to define and explain the context of ambiguity which is among the major narrative elements of postmodern literature. Likewise, how it appears in the novel and for what purposes authors apply it will be handled. Moreover, how ambiguity is included in the main elements of novel such as the character, theme, time-space, point of view and plot, what apparent and embedded purposes the author has by applying to narrative ambiguity and its connection with the Holocaust will be scrutinised. On the other hand, whether this ambiguity in narrative is a genuine ambiguity or just a narrative clarity intentionally used by the author to steer the readers toward an intended objective will also be discussed.

Keywords

• Narrative ambiguity
• Holocaust
• Raymond Federman
• To Whom It May Concern

Belirsizliği Keşfetmek: Raymond Federman’ın To Whom it May Concern Adlı Eserinde Holokost Temsilinin Edebi Önemi

Abstract

Önemli bir edebi araç ve anlatı tekniği olan belirsizlik, postmodern yazının en yaygın ve öne çıkan bileşenlerinden biri olarak kabul edilir. Bu kavramın tanım, kapsam ve kullanımındaki muğlaklık, edebiyat eleştirmenleri ve araştırmacılarının kavrama ilgi duymasına, yazarların da yapıtlarında bu kavrama sıklıkla başvurmalarına yol açar. Bu bağlamda Raymond Federman’ın To Whom It May Concern adlı romanı, bir anlatı yöntemi olarak belirsizliğin bariz bir şekilde ortaya çıktığı yapıtlardan biridir. Bu çalışmada postmodern edebiyatın en önemli anlatı öğelerinden olan belirsizlik kavramının tanım ve kapsamı açıklanmaya çalışılacaktır. Ayrıca romanda bu kavramın nasıl ortaya çıktığı ve yazarın bunu hangi amaçla kullanıldığı ele alınacaktır. Ayrıca karakter, tema, zaman-mekân, bakış açısı ve olay örgüsü gibi romanın ana unsurlarında belirsizliğin ne şekilde kullanıldığı, yazarın anlatı belirsizliğini kullanırken açık ve örtük amacının ne olduğu ve bunun Holokost ile olan ilişkisi irdelenecektir. Öte yandan anlatıdaki bu belirsizliğin gerçekten bir belirsizlik mi yoksa yazar tarafından bilinçli olarak kullanılan ve okuru amaçlanan hedefe yönlendiren bir anlatı açıklığı mı olduğu da tartışılacaktır.

Keywords

• Anlatı Belirsizliği
• Holokost
• Raymond Federman
• To Whom It May Concern

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