Postmodern Historiography in Michael Ondaatje's Running in The Family

Öz

Postmodernism redefines the term of historiography, and it questions the clear-cut distinction of history and fiction since the movement maintains a notion that history is constructed by human beings just like literature. Furthermore, postmodern thinkers interrogate the role of a historiographer, and how history is generated. They claim that historiography cannot exclude itself from the subjective or ideological manners of the historiographer as he is a person with his own emotions and judgements. Along with the related premises of postmodern scholars, and with the framework of Linda Hutcheon's ideas upon historiography in particular, this study is based on a close reading of an autobiographical novel of Michael Ondaatje. The present article aims to analyze the novel in terms of how history is problematized in the context of the national history of the author's birthplace, the past of his family members, and the intertexts that Ondaatje offers to his readers. The article seeks answers to the questions that are related to the credibility of a historian and generating an objective history. In this regard, it is argued that history exists in a state of uncertainty due to the wealth of interpreters and interpretations.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• postmodernism
• historiography
• historiographic metafiction
• Michael Ondaatje
• Running in the family

Postmodern Historiography in Michael Ondaatje's Running in The Family

Öz

Postmodernizm, tarih yazımı kavramını tekrar gözden geçirir ve bu akım, tarihinde aynı edebiyat gibi insan tarafından oluşturulması nedeniyle tarih ve kurmaca arasındaki net ayrımı sorgular. Bunun yanı sıra, postmodern düşünürler tarihçinin rolünü ve tarihin nasıl üretildiğini irdeler. Tarih yazarının kendi duygu ve yargılarına sahip bir insan olmasından dolayı öznel ve ideolojik tutumlardan muaf tutulamayacağını savunur. Bu çalışmada postmodern düşünürlerin ilgili görüşleri ve özellikle Linda Hutcheon' ın tarih yazımı konusundaki fikirlerini temel alınarak Sri Lanka doğumlu Kanadalı yazar Michael Ondaatje' ye ait Running in the Family (Aİle İçinde Olanlar, 1982) olan otobiyografik roman derinlemesine incelenmiştir. Sırasıyla yazarın doğum yerinin ulusal tarihini, aile bireylerinin geçmişlerini ve yazarın okurlarına sunduğu farklı metinlerle tarihin nasıl sorunsallaştırıldığını analiz etmek amaçlanmıştır. Bu makale tarih yazarının ve nesnel tarih yazımının güvenilirliği ile ilgili sorulara cevap aramaktadır. Bu bağlamda, tarihin yorumlar ve yorumcuların zenginliğinden dolayı, bir belirsizlik durumu olduğu tartışılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• postmodernizm
• tarih yazımı
• tarihsel üstkurmaca
• Michael Ondaatje
• Aile içinde olanlar

Kaynakça

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