On the Theme of Nostalgia in Paolo Bacigalupi’s Post-Apocalyptic Novel The Windup Girl

Abstract

After the massive outbreaks of violence and catastrophes at the dawn of the twentieth century, experiences of dislocation and dissonance, as well as their reflection in the human psyche, nostalgia, captivated the interest of various disciplines from literary studies to politics. Although viewed through various lenses, nostalgia as a state of a wistful affection for the past still permeates the present discourses. These studies on nostalgia overlap with a rising trend in the Western literary canon, the surge of derivative forms of utopia. Building on the contemporary interdisciplinary approaches on nostalgia and dystopian tradition, this paper investigates the individual’s position in a dystopian setting with an emphasis on the experience of nostalgia in Paolo Bacigalupi’s novel The Windup Girl (2009). This article aims to investigate the role of nostalgia in a post-apocalyptic dystopian setting with a focus on various experiences of nostalgia. I argue that Bacigalupi’s novel is a nuanced exploration of the experience of nostalgia and a meditation on the connection between nostalgia and utopianism, due to its engagement with both individual and collective experiences of nostalgia.

Keywords

• Dystopian tradition,nostalgia,Paolo Bacigalupi,The Windup Girl

Paolo Bacigalupi’nin Post-Apokaliptik Romanı Kurma Kız’da Nostalji Teması Üzerine

Abstract

Yirminci yüzyılın şafağında meydana gelen şiddet ve devasa yıkımların ardından insanların aidiyet ve ahenk hissiyatındaki çöküşün insan ruhuna işlediği nostalji duygusu, edebiyat çalışmalarından siyasete kadar çeşitli disiplinlerin ilgisini çekmiştir. Birçok farklı açıdan bakılmış olsa da nostalji, günümüz söylemlerinde hâlâ geçmişe yönelik hüzünlü bir özlem durumu olarak geçmektedir. Nostalji üzerine yapılan bu çalışmalar, Batı edebiyatı külliyatında gitgide genişleyen bir akım hâline gelmiş ve ütopya türevlerinden oluşan bir dalga yaratmıştır. Nostalji ve distopyacı gelenekteki disiplinlerarası çağdaş yaklaşımları temel alan bu makalenin amacı, Paolo Bacigalupi’nin romanı The Windup Girl’deki (2009) nostalji deneyiminin üzerinde durarak bireyin post-apokaliptik distopyacı bir ortamdaki yerini araştırmaktır. Bacigalupi’nin romanının, nostalji deneyiminin ayrıntılı bir keşfi olduğunu ve nostalji deneyimini hem bireysel hem de kolektif olarak ele almasından dolayı nostalji ve ütopyacılık arasındaki bağlantı üzerine bir tefekkür olduğunu ileri sürmekteyim.

Keywords

• Distopyacı gelenek,Kurma Kız,nostalji,Paolo Bacigalupi

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