New Materialism and Wuthering Heights

Year 2024, Volume: 7 Issue: 4, 859 - 873, 31.12.2024

Yıldırım Özsevgeç , Enfal Erkan

https://doi.org/10.37999/udekad.1534020

Abstract

Wuthering Heights (1847) has been regarded as a Victorian-Era novel due to the themes it has dwelled on. Emily Brontë, by bringing class differences, women’s role in society, and the perception of men’s superiority into the novel, has appealed to a wide readership. Critics and academics have frequently discussed this work for nearly 200 years. While the work has been analyzed by various approaches, its romantic, social, and gothic aspects are generally emphasized. However, Brontë prioritized setting and atmosphere while creating the plot and included plenty of geographical descriptions. She places great emphasis on nature in the setting, highlighting the influential role of each natural element on humans, who are integral parts of the natural world. New Materialism is the approach that argues that the “things” that we consider inert and passive in nature are actors of the network that creates each phenomenon. According to new materialism, it is the objects around one that they are in constant contact with that form their thought structure and motivate them. The functions of these objects and even their mere existence motivate people. When examined through this perspective, the idea arises that “things” considered inanimate may be “vibrant matters”. On the other hand, Wuthering Heights constitutes a comprehensive example to show the vibrant agency of nature. In this study, we analyze Wuthering Heights from a new materialist perspective and use the concepts of actor-network theory, intra-action, and vibrant matter as methods.

Keywords

Wuthering Heights, new materialism, actor-network theory, intra-action, vibrant matter

Yeni Materyalizm ve Uğultulu Tepeler

Abstract

Uğultulu Tepeler (1847), işlediği temalar nedeniyle bir Viktorya Dönemi romanı olarak kabul edilmektedir. Emily Brontë, sınıf farklılıklarını, kadının toplumdaki rolünü ve erkeğin üstünlüğü algısını romana taşıyarak geniş bir okur kitlesine hitap etmiştir. Bu eser yaklaşık 200 yıldır eleştirmenler ve akademisyenler tarafından sıklıkla tartışılmaktadır. Esere farklı açılardan yaklaşılsa da genellikle romantik, toplumsal ve gotik yönleri vurgulanmıştır. Ancak Brontë, olay örgüsünü oluştururken doğayı ve atmosferi ön planda tutmuş ve bolca coğrafi betimlemeye yer vermiştir. Mekânda doğayı bu kadar ön planda tutmasının nedeni, bir bütün olarak doğayı oluşturan her bir unsurun, yine doğanın bir unsuru olan insan üzerindeki etkin rolünü vurgulamaktır. İşte, doğada sabit ve edilgen olarak kabul ettiğimiz “şeylerin” aslında her bir fenomeni oluşturan ağın birer faili olduğunu savunan yaklaşım Yeni Materyalizm olarak adlandırılır. Yeni materyalizme göre insanın düşünce yapısını oluşturan, onu harekete geçiren aslında sürekli ilişki içerisinde olduğu etrafındaki nesnelerdir. Bu nesnelerin işlevleri, hatta salt varlıkları bile insanı harekete geçirir. Bu perspektiften bakıldığında, cansız olduğu düşünülen “şeylerin” aslında canlı maddeler olabileceği fikri ortaya çıkar. Uğultulu Tepeler ise doğanın canlı failliğini göstermek açısından kapsamlı bir örnek teşkil etmektedir. Bu çalışmada Uğultulu Tepeler’i yeni materyalist açıdan inceleyecek olup yöntem olarak ‘fail-ağ kuramı’, ‘içkin ilişkisel eylem’ ve ‘canlı madde’ kavramlarını kullanacağız.

Keywords

Uğultulu Tepeler, yeni materyalizm, fail ağ kuramı, içkin ilişkisel eylem, canlı madde

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