Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

A Comparative Study: Existentialism in No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre and Shadowless by Hasan Ali Toptaş

Year 2019, Volume: 25 Issue: 99, 577 - 591, 01.08.2019
https://doi.org/10.22559/folklor.986

Abstract

Existentialism has influenced a lot of literary works throughout history. Existentialism

can be studied in literary works by means of foregrounding the existential

themes and techniques. Some of these themes are being, change, freedom, selfcognizance,

isolation, responsibility, free-will, and alienation. Traversing the boundary

between philosophy and literature, this essay aims to analyse the existential

themes of Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit or Huis Clos (1944) and Hasan Ali Toptaş’s

Shadowless1 or Gölgesizler (1993) with an intertextual and comparative approach.

This essay considers Sartre’s No Exit and Toptaş’s Shadowless as postmodern

texts. Before exploring the existentialist themes and techniques in No Exit and Shadowless,

this study aims to discuss the tradition of existentialism in literature. After

presenting an introductory review on such existentialist concepts in literature as

existence, essence, freedom, angst, and absurd, some recurrent themes in Sartre’s

and Toptaş’s works will be highlighted and analysed. After a brief exploration of

the influence of existentialism on Turkish literature, the essay will focus on the

textual analysis. No Exit will be analysed from the perspective provided by such

concepts as “being-for-itself”, “being-for-other”, “isolation and claustrophobic existence”; as for Shadowless, “being and nothingness” and “anxiety of uncertainty,

emptiness and meaninglessness” will serve as the existential themes reflected

in the novel. Within the framework of existentialism, an intertextual approach to

and a comparative analysis of Shadowless from Turkish Literature along with No

Exit from French Literature is an attempt of situating Modern Turkish Literature

within the broader regional and global context. As a last point, this paper also aims

to contribute both to critical studies on Sartre’s work and scholarship on the woks

of Hasan Ali Toptaş work whose works of fiction have rarely been discussed from

a comparative or world literature studies perspective.

References

  • Camus, A. (1991). The myth of Sisyphus and other essays. Trans. Justin O’Brien. New York: Vintage.
  • Cox, G. (2009). Sartre and fiction. London: Continuum International.
  • Kaufman, W. (1956). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre. New York: Meridian.
  • Panza, C & Gale, G. (2008). Existentialism. Indiana: Wiley.
  • Sartre, J. P. (1943) Being and nothingness. Cornwall: Routledge.
  • Sartre, J. P. (1957). Existentialism and human emotions. New York: Citadel. Sartre, J. P. (1990). In camera (No exit or Behind closed doors). Trans. Stuart Gilbert, in In Camera and Other Plays. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
  • Sartre, J. P. (2007). Existentialism is a humanism. New Haven: Yale University.
  • Tanzer, M. (2008). On existentialism. Belmont: Thomson Wordsworth.
  • Toptaş, H. A. (1995). Gölgesizler. İstanbul: İletişim.
  • Toptaş, H. A. (2017). Shadowless. [Gölgesizler 1993]. Trans. Maureen Freely and John Angliss. London: Bloomsbury.
  • Wartenberg, T. E. (2008). Existentialism: A beginner’s guide. Oxford: Oneworld.
Year 2019, Volume: 25 Issue: 99, 577 - 591, 01.08.2019
https://doi.org/10.22559/folklor.986

Abstract

References

  • Camus, A. (1991). The myth of Sisyphus and other essays. Trans. Justin O’Brien. New York: Vintage.
  • Cox, G. (2009). Sartre and fiction. London: Continuum International.
  • Kaufman, W. (1956). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre. New York: Meridian.
  • Panza, C & Gale, G. (2008). Existentialism. Indiana: Wiley.
  • Sartre, J. P. (1943) Being and nothingness. Cornwall: Routledge.
  • Sartre, J. P. (1957). Existentialism and human emotions. New York: Citadel. Sartre, J. P. (1990). In camera (No exit or Behind closed doors). Trans. Stuart Gilbert, in In Camera and Other Plays. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
  • Sartre, J. P. (2007). Existentialism is a humanism. New Haven: Yale University.
  • Tanzer, M. (2008). On existentialism. Belmont: Thomson Wordsworth.
  • Toptaş, H. A. (1995). Gölgesizler. İstanbul: İletişim.
  • Toptaş, H. A. (2017). Shadowless. [Gölgesizler 1993]. Trans. Maureen Freely and John Angliss. London: Bloomsbury.
  • Wartenberg, T. E. (2008). Existentialism: A beginner’s guide. Oxford: Oneworld.
There are 11 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Creative Arts and Writing
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Hilal Kaya This is me

Publication Date August 1, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2019 Volume: 25 Issue: 99

Cite

APA Kaya, H. (2019). A Comparative Study: Existentialism in No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre and Shadowless by Hasan Ali Toptaş. Folklor/Edebiyat, 25(99), 577-591. https://doi.org/10.22559/folklor.986

Journal website: https://folkloredebiyat.org
The journal’s publication languages are both English and Turkish. Also despite articles in Turkish, the title, abstract, and keywords are also in English. Turkish articles approved by the reviewers are required to submit an extended summary (750-1000 words) in English.
The journal is indexed by TR-Dizin, Web of Science (ESCI), DOAJ, and many other indexes and datebases.
Within the scope of TR DIZIN 2020 Ethical Criteria and as of the year 2020, studies requiring ethics committee approval must indicate Ethics Committee Approval details (committe-date-issue) in the article’s methods section. With this in mind, we request from our author candidates to edit their article accordingly before sending it to the journal.

Field EdItors

Folklore:
Prof.Dr. Hande Birkalan-Gedik
(Frankfurt University- birkalan-gedik@em.uni.frankfurt.de)
Prof. Dr. Arzu Öztürkmen
(Bosphorus University- ozturkme@boun.edu.tr)
Edebiyat-Literature
Prof. Dr. G. Gonca Gökalp Alpaslan (Hacettepe University - ggonca@
hacettepe.edu.tr)
Prof. Dr. Ramazan Korkmaz
(President, Caucasus University Association- r_korkmaz@hotmail.com)
Antropoloji-Anthropology
Prof. Dr. Akile Gürsoy
(Beykent University - gursoyakile@gmail.com)
Prof.Dr. Serpil Aygün Cengiz
(Ankara University - serpilayguncengiz@gmail.com)
Dil-Dilbilim/Linguistics
Prof.Dr. Aysu Erden
(Maltepe University - aysuerden777@gmail.com)
Prof. Dr. V. Doğan Günay
(Dokuz Eylul University- dogan.gunay@deu.edu.tr)