Cinsiyetçi bir Stereotipten Kahramanlığa Kadın Kişotluğun İzini Sürmek: Kadın Şövalyeler ve Etekli Kişotlar

Abstract

Female Quixote (1752), kişotizm çalışmaları açısından önemli bir mihenk taşı olarak kabul edilse de Arabella’nın öncüllerine yönelik geriye dönük bir analiz, bu geleneğin on sekizinci yüzyılın sonuna kadar nasıl evrildiğini anlamak açısından büyük önem taşımaktadır. Kadın Kişotizm, bir topos olarak on yedinci yüzyılın ilk çeyreğine kadar uzanmakta olup başlangıçta okuyucular için mizahi bir unsur ve eğlenceli bir konu olarak değerlendirilmiştir. İlk kadın Don Kişot örnekleri, Don Kişot’tan esinlenerek romans okuma alışkanlığıyla özdeşleştirilmiştir. Thomas Overbury’nin Characters (1615) ve Wye Saltonstall’ın Picturæ Loquentes (1635) gibi erken dönem şiir tasvirlerde, kadın gezginler (lady-errants) olmayı hayal eden hizmetçiler öne çıkmaktadır. Daha sonra William Cartwright’ın The Lady-Errant (1651) ve Richard Steele’in The Tender Husband (1705) adlı eserleri, absürt beklentileri ve döneme ait olmayan ifade biçimlerini vurgulayarak bu komik stereotipleri pekiştirmiştir. Lennox’un Arabella’sı “Kadın Don Kişot” olarak ortaya çıkana dek, bu öncül karakterler, zamanla bir kahramana dönüşecek olan toplumsal kalıp tipin sınırlarını belirleyen temel unsurlar olarak işlev görmüştür. On sekizinci yüzyılda tanınan bir karakterin gelişimi bağlamında, bu çalışma, süreci geriye dönük olarak izleyerek bir kadın kahramanın doğuşunu mümkün kılan kültürel ve edebi evrimi incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Geleneksel bir toplumsal kalıp tipin nasıl daha karmaşık kadın karakterlere evrildiğine dair kapsamlı bir bakış sunarak, nihayetinde daha çok yönlü ve alışılmışın dışında kadın kahramanların ortaya çıkışına nasıl zemin hazırlandığını ele almaktadır.

Keywords

• kadın kişotlar,
• Don Kişot
• Kişotizm
• etekli kişotlar
• gezgin kadın şövalyeler

Tracing Female Quixotism from a Gendered Stereotype into a Heroine: Lady Errants and Quixotes in Petticoats

Abstract

Although The Female Quixote (1752) is widely regarded as a cornerstone of quixotism studies, a retrospective analysis of Arabella’s antecedents is crucial to understanding its evolution until the end of the eighteenth century. Dating back to the first quarter of the seventeenth century, female quixotism, as a topos, was considered and employed as a means of laughter and a light-hearted subject for the readers. The first examples of women quixotes were identified with the habit of excessive romance reading Don Quixote had originated. Early poetic depictions, such as Thomas Overbury’s Characters (1615) and Wye Saltonstall’s Picturæ Loquentes (1635), feature maids aspiring to be lady-errants. Later, William Cartwright’s The Lady-Errant (1651) and Richard Steele’s The Tender Husband (1705) reinforce comic stereotypes, emphasizing absurd expectations and linguistic misunderstandings. Until Lennox’s Arabella as “the” female quixote, these pioneering characters function as the preliminary elements defining the contours of the stock type, soon be a character. Within the context of the development of a character that peaked in the eighteenth century, this study aims to trace back this progress to study the cultural and literary evolution that enabled the birth of a heroine. It offers a comprehensive insight into how a conventional stock type evolved into more complex female characters, ultimately leading to the development of more multifaceted and unconventional heroines.

Keywords

• female quixotes
• Don Quixote
• quixotism
• quixote in petticoats
• lady-errant.

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