Minding the Class Gap: Doppelgänger Cityscapes in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 18 Sayı: 2, 410 - 421, 31.12.2024

Elif Demir

Öz

Freud's article on the uncanny also includes the concept of the double. According to Freud, this concept points to the duality in the construction of the ego in the primary narcissism period, when the child acquires the understanding of moral control. This duality results from the splitting of the ego and creates an area where unwanted material is pushed into the subconscious. However, this repressed area carries traces of the ego because it was once part of it. Similarly, in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, London Above and London Below, as a divided city, represent the ego and the repressed space that emerges as a result of the split of the ego. London Above represents a politicized morality in which a fixed class structure is accepted, for example, the Upsiders not seeing the Downsiders, or Jessica's urge to appear in art galleries with Richard. As a representation of self, London Above embraces positive materials, while London Below functions as the “other” twin or “evil twin” because this space, accessed through doors or sewers, is dark, damp, and smelly. London Below also contains the repressed and unwanted social dynamics of London Above. However, since the doppelgänger is a division of a whole, the suppression of the undesirable underclass is also mimicked in London Below, thus resulting in a recurring matrix of social hierarchy in both cityscapes. In this context, this study aims to analyse the doppelgänger motif in relation to the class-based basin of London.

Anahtar Kelimeler

doppelganger, class division, recurrence, Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman

Etik Beyan

There is no conflict of interest to disclose.

Sınıf Uçurumuna Dikkat Etmek: Neil Gaiman'ın Neverwhere Adlı Eserinde Doppelgänger Şehir Manzaraları

Öz

Freud’un tekinsizlik hakkındaki makalesi çift kavramına da yer verir. Freud’a göre bu kavram, çocuğun ahlaki kontrol anlayışını kazandığı birincil narsisizm döneminde egonun inşasındaki ikiliğe işaret eder. Bu ikilik egonun bölünmesi ve bunun sonucunda da istenmeyen materyallerin bilinçaltına itildiği bir alan yaratılmasından kaynaklanır. Ancak, bastırılmış bu alan bir zamanlar egonun bir parçası olduğu için egonun izlerini taşır. Benzer bir şekilde, Neil Gaiman’ın Neverwhere adlı eserinde de bölünmüş bir şehir olarak London Above ve London Below egoyu ve egonun parçalanması sonucunda ortaya çıkan alanı temsil eder. London Above, sabit bir sınıf yapısının kabul edildiği politikleştirilmiş bir ahlakı temsil eder: Örneğin, Upsiders’ın Downsider’ları görmemesi veya Jessica’nın Richard’la sanat galerilerinde görünme dürtüsü gibi. Benlik temsili olarak London Above olumlu materyalleri kucaklarken öte yandan London Below “öteki” ikiz ya da “kötü ikiz” işlevi görür, çünkü kapılardan ya da kanalizasyonlardan erişilen bu mekan karanlık, nemli ve pis kokuludur. London Below aynı zamanda London Above’un bastırılan ve istenmeyen sosyal dinamiklerini de barındırır. Ne var ki, doppelganger bir bütünün bölünmesi olduğundan, istenmeyen alt sınıfın bastırılması durumu London Below’da da taklit edilir ve böylece her iki şehir manzarasında da yinelenen sosyal hiyerarşi matriksi ortaya çıkar. Bu bağlamda bu çalışma, Londra’nın sınıf temelli havzasıyla bağlantılı olarak doppelganger motifini analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

doppelganger, sınıf ayrımı, tekerrür, Yokyer, Neil Gaiman

Kaynakça

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